Window to the Past
by FlamePumpkin32
Summary: Her Black Heart sequel. Coralynn is back with the gang at Hogwarts. This time she knows about her past and couldn't be more confused. What happens when you throw in Dementors, Sirius Black, and first kisses to the new school year? Join Cora through her 3rd year at Hogwarts.
1. The Past Hurts

**Updated 10-3-14**

Home. The Webster's New World College Dictionary defines it as the place where a person or family lives; one's dwelling place. Isn't it sad? I had to look that up. I mean, the word has never meant much to me before. It was just a thing I had never had. A home is a place where your family is, where you grow up, have happy memories, and lots of other stuff an orphan doesn't have.

Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention I'm not an orphan anymore. Over the summer I was officially adopted by my cousins on my dad's side. I live with them now in England in their gorgeous home. It's nicer than The Burrow, but it has the same warm feeling to it. The moment I stepped inside the Tonks' home I found I couldn't hold in my joy. I couldn't believe they'd been here all along. They were everything to me now; I finally had a place where I was wanted. I now know what it feels like to have a home. Living with my cousins was like a fantasy. I had my own room, I was free to roam about without suspicion, and I could let Solo out at nights.

Andromeda was the mother I never had. She was kind, loving, warm, and a mentor. I learned that she was a gifted Healer after my many escapades climbing trees and running around their modest estate. Like me, Andromeda had a knack for household spells. Something neither Ted nor Tonks possessed. We spent many hours together in the kitchen and drawing room. The Tonks' preferred not to have the help of a House Elf so Andromeda did the cooking and cleaning herself. She taught me how to make many dishes and by the end of the summer I was pretty good at it. Sometimes, when I was out at night looking up at the stars, she would come and join me. Andi (as I affectionately called her) would point out the names of our relatives long past in the sky. She told me that basically everyone on her side was named after stars. I had no idea about that so Andi pointed out her star and mine. The Vulpecula (one of my middle names) star was part of the fox constellation.

Ted Tonks was a Muggle-born. It was because of him that Andi was blasted off her family tree. I thought that was wonderful; she gave up her lavish pureblood life to be with him. Their relationship was strong and affectionate. Ted and I both loved to read. Every day after breakfast he'd go into his study and read the Daily Prophet or an old book handed down from past family members. On Sundays, we'd sit in there for hours talking about the Muggle world. Occasionally, Andi and Tonks would join in, but not for long. Whenever I had a friend over (Hermione, Ron, Ginny, or my other friends from Hogwarts) he'd go out of his was to make sure we had a good time; even if that meant staying out of our way.

Tonks was my favorite person in the entire world! She was an Auror for the Ministry of Magic and she was also a Metamorphmagus, meaning she could change any part of her person at will. Her favorite thing to change was her hair; usually it reflected her mood but it was mostly always bubblegum pink. My cousin was such a klutz too. She's very clumsy and particularly unskilled at household spells. I love her though. I found her enthusiasm very refreshing. Tonks always found time to spend time with me even with her busy schedule as an Auror. We'd go out flying over the countryside and shopping in Diagon Alley and playing all sorts of games. She showed me all the different spells (offensive and defensive) she'd learned through her training with Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody. I was sad that I couldn't try them myself but instead I practiced the incantation and wand movements with butter knives.

The summer going into third year I also learned about some of my family history. My mother's side of the family was basically wiped off the face of the earth. I tried to ask Ted about the Maguire family but he told me to ask Andromeda. When I asked her, she told me there wasn't much to say. My mother, Olivia was from a respectable Pureblood family. They lived in America up until mid-1960 when my grandfather moved them to London for his job. Apparently they were the "good" Purebloods; not picky about blood status and all that jazz. Andi was right when she said there wasn't much about them. Tonks took me to the Wizarding Archives at the Ministry of Magic to see if I could find more. All that was listed were the names of the immediate Maguire family. The funny thing was that my dad's name was scratched off the family tree. I held up the paper close to my face and made out a last name. Black.

That night, after dinner, I asked Andi about what I had found. The plate she was holding crashed to the ground, shattering. She was quiet for the longest time. When Andi turned around, her eyes were full of sadness. I remember begging her to tell me about my dad and why his name was removed from the Maguire tree. That night, my life changed. That night, I learned about my dad and his crazy relatives.

The Black family had a dark history. One, I am not that pleased to be a part of. My dad's family comes from a very long line of Slytherins. Basically they were all into dark magic, following their "Dark Lord". I thought it was a load of crap at first. Andi said dad had been one of the first to defy this tradition. On his first day at Hogwarts, dad was sorted into Gryffindor. And at 16 he was disowned from the Black family, blasted off the tree. He married my mom months after graduating and I was born a few years later. I still didn't know much; Andi hardly told me anything. I had to go to Tonks for the rest. With sad eyes she told me that he got a one-way ticket to Azkaban after blowing up an entire street of Muggles and killing his friend. My mom was murdered shortly after. But, worst of all, mass murderer Sirius Black, my dad, had sold out my best friend's parents to Voldemort. He was the reason Harry Potter's parents are dead.

I cried for hours. All my wishes and dreams and fantasies…ruined. I had this image of my family. Dad was darkly handsome and mom was an angelic beauty and I was their perfect little procreation. We lived happily in a wizarding neighborhood where I grew up and learned about magic. I remember praying to God, Merlin, to anyone who would listen that what I was told wasn't true. My dad didn't kill a bunch of Muggles and one of his best friends. My mom was never murdered because of him. Harry's parents would still be alive. I unclasped my necklace, throwing it in a random direction. Solo hooted angrily in response to being woken up. I didn't care. I wanted nothing to do with the Black family.

Then came the nightmares. All the memories were slowly coming back. I remember my mom putting me in the closet. I remember hearing her scream my name. I remember dark, dead eyes gazing down at me in hatred. Bellatrix Lestrange…Andi's older sister. It was her fault my mom was dead. She killed her. I hated her and I wanted to kill her! I remember asking Andi how she could stand it, to know the things her sister has done and do nothing about it. My cousin looked at me through her misty eyes and said that it was all she could do. Andi hadn't spoken to Bellatrix in many years.

"Don't blame your father," she cooed. As I fell asleep in her arms, she hummed a familiar lullaby. My dad used to sing it to me to get me to sleep. It was called All the Pretty Little Horses.

_Cora. My dear Coralynn…My darling, say you believe me. I am innocent. An innocent man in a cell made for a traitor._

Summer had come and gone in a blink of an eye. The night I learned about myself was permanently etched into my brain and would never go away. For almost two weeks after I did nothing but eat, sleep, and do schoolwork. I hardly came out of my room until I decided to suck it up. You can't choose your parents (in my case you can't choose your dad). Even though I got better (as better as I could be, that is) I was sick of summer and waiting around. I was dying to get back to wizards and witches and magical beasts. Hell, even to goblins and ghosts. But most importantly…Hogwarts' magical feasts! I loved it as much as I needed it…like a fat kid loves and needs cake…okay, that was actually really mean…but true!

One night, in my boredom, I decided to build a fort out of my bedroom furniture, pillows, and blankets. It was totally awesome! Since it was a warm night I opened my window to let the stuffy air out. I switched on Ted's flashlight, pointing it at a large scrapbook. Andi had made it years ago. The pictures dated back to before I was born and up until I was one. The two couples and two babies smiling up at me looked very happy. I had stared at this picture long enough to know who they were. Harry and his parents James and Lily Potter, and me and my parents Olivia and Sirius Black. I shone the light all over the moving picture, but my eyes stayed on my father's face. Andi was opposed to telling me anything about him, but Ted did:

"Your father was brave, clever as they come, and the most energetic man I had ever known. He was not content sitting at home while others were in danger. That's why he joined the movement against You-Know-Who in the First Wizarding War. But let me tell you, and don't ever forget it. Your father loved the heck outta you and your mother. He would never ever do anything that would hurt his family or friends."

Dad was exactly how I dreamt of him. Tall, well-built with long black hair with striking grey eyes. He carried himself aristocratically. Apparently that had been passed down through the generations. I was told I held myself with that same aristocratic air at times. I thought long and hard about what Ted told me. If dad loved my mom and me so much, why did he do it? If he would never ever hurt his family or friends, why did he go off the deep end? I came to two conclusions by the end of the summer. One, Sirius Black was a raving lunatic madman who joined You-Know-Who. And two, Sirius Black could have possibly been framed. Someone betrayed Harry's parents and my dad knew who it was. He blew up that street trying to kill whoever did it but the person got away.

I didn't know what to believe.


	2. Remus Lupin

**Updated 10-9-14**

The quiet Tonks resident was shattered by the chiming of a doorbell. Moments later, I barreled out of my room to catch the door. I shouted that I would get it and for whoever was now knocking to wait a little longer. At the top of the stairs I swung my legs over the banister and proceeded to slide all the way down. About halfway, Andi opened the door for our guest.

"No wait," I shouted. "I said I got it!"

My butt hit the end of the stairs and I fell off with a small shout. Above me Andi was frowning, her arms crossed. The man standing next to her wore an amused expression. Andi sighed exasperatedly, "I'm sorry about her."

The man chuckled, "No need to apologize, Andromeda. It's only natural for a girl her age to have fun."

"Got that right, mister," I agreed with the man, still on my back looking up at them.

"Well," Andi looked at me. "Are you going to get up and greet our guest, or not?"

I flipped over and jumped up, smiling at the man. He was wearing shabby looking robes with patches in some places. He looked ill and exhausted, though young. His hair was a light brown with flecks of grey and he had a thin moustache of the same color. What really intrigued me about the man were the three scars cutting across his face.

"Hi," I greeted warmly. "I'm Cora! Nice to meet you."

The man chuckled again, "It's nice to meet you too, Cora. I'm Remus Lupin."

_Remus Lupin rushed to the spot where Bellatrix Lestrange once occupied and then moved to the crying baby. He picked her up and held her close. As soon as her head rested on his shoulder, she was asleep._

I cocked my head to the side, "Cool name!"

"Yes, I quite like it."

"Well, if you two are done, Remus, you said you needed to talk to Ted and I?"

Remus looked at my cousin, "Yes. Is he here now?"

"Ted's still at work. But let's go in the kitchen. You look hungry."

As the adults entered the kitchen I did what anyone in my position would do…I followed. Andi flicked her wand and out from the fridge came a pitcher of water and three glasses from the cupboard. Remus pulled out a chair and sat at the table patiently. While Andi began chopping veggies I hopped up on the counter next to her, a parchment in hand.

"Hey, Andi?"

"Hmm," she kept cutting.

"When you're done can you sign this?"

"What is it, dear?"

"It's the permission slip for Hogsmeade."

"Oh, sure. Just set it on the table and I will sign it later," with another flick of her wand, a pot of spaghetti sauce started bubbling.

I jumped off the counter and placed the permission slip on the table. Remus looked at it, his eyes glazed over. "I remember my first Hogsmeade trip. Those were good times."

"Really," I asked as I sat down next to him. "What is it like? Fred and George told me it was some dinky town but others say it's simply beautiful."

"Well those others were right. It is beautiful."

I sighed, "I can't wait to go. Tonks told me that's where my mom and dad met." Remus stiffened visibly. Andi stopped cutting for a second, then began again, exhaling slowly. I frowned. "Did – did you know my parents?"

Remus looked up at Andi who busied herself, "Yes, I did know your parents."

Andi slammed the knife down. She turned, "Remus!"

"Andromeda, she asked me. I won't deny her answers. Not anymore."

"Wait, what? What do you mean?"

Remus sighed as Andi left the kitchen, "I knew your parents very well, Cora. They were my friends."

"Then you know," I began. "You know what happened to them?"

"Yes. I was the one who found you that night. I know what your father did to those people and I know he's rotting in Azkaban."

"Do you think he's innocent," I asked right away.

Remus looked at me for a long time. His eyes closed and he pinched the bridge of his nose, "You have to understand –"

"I want to know…"

"No," Remus opened his eyes. "I do not believe he is innocent. An innocent man would not – could not…"

My eyes suddenly widened. I knew him. "You're him, aren't you? You're my godfather…"

"You are a clever girl, Cora."

"I just remembered that night. I remember seeing your eyes. They remind me of chocolate."

"That's what your mother thought."

"What was she like?"

And that's how it all went down, folks. Everything I ever wanted to know about my mom and dad was told to me by my parents' best friend and my godfather, Remus Lupin. He left nothing out, no stone left unturned or however the saying goes. When Ted got home, he was reluctant to even have Remus inside. I asked why so many times, but no one told me. They got along long enough to tell me about my mom and dad's families and even how they were in school. By midnight, I felt as if I knew them.

I showed Remus to the door, stopping to take everything in. We said short goodbyes and he walked down the path to the gates. I called out to him, "Remus, after everything you've just told me, you honestly don't believe that dad's innocent?"

My godfather turned around, sadness in his tired eyes, "I don't know. I want to but after what he did it's hard to believe."

I nodded slowly. Then, out of nowhere, I ran up to him and threw my arms around his waist. "Thank you," I whispered.

Remus patted me on the back. When I let go he wished me a good year at Hogwarts and told me to stay out of trouble. He walked further down the path and then disapparated. I waved lamely at the spot where he was once standing. Andi called my name and I slowly made my way back inside the house.


	3. The Knight Bus

**Updated 10-9-14**

I had a nightmare. I don't remember most of it but I awoke sitting up, hyperventilating. I quickly got out of bed (not before getting tangled in my sheets and falling to the floor) and jumped in the shower. I changed into dark jeans and a pink "Vogue" Madonna shirt. I laced up my pink-and-black chucks just when Solo flew in through my open window. I stroked my owl and unhooked my latest letter. It was from Hermione. As I read it, Solo nipped at my shoulder.

"Okay, okay, god," I reached into my open trunk and rummaged through it. I found half an owl treat and fed it to my hungry bird.

Anyways, in the letter Hermione confirmed that she was going to spend the last week of summer at the Leaky Cauldron with the Weasley clan. I threw the letter on my bed and raced downstairs. I yelled for Andi all the way until I was standing right in front of her. She held up her left pointer finger and signaled that she was on the phone. I waited and waited. I began to get impatient as I tapped my foot on the floor and drummed my fingernails against the wall. Finally she hung up. Without taking a breath I explained to her the details of Hermione's letter.

"Yes, yes, I know. You better get going."

I did a celebratory fist pump and sped back up the stairs. I had some major packing to do. And by packing I mean dumping everything out of my trunk and throwing new stuff in. That took me about ten minutes. Then Andi came up, scolded me for my messiness and made me arrange everything properly. That took another hour. So by the time I had dragged my trunk down the stairs and placed it by the front door it was dark (eh what can I say, I'm a slow packer).

I called out to Andi, no reply. In the living room there were two pops and hushed voices. I placed my ear against the closed door, listening in.

"Have you heard? Are you watching the news," it was Ted.

"Yes, Ted. It's all over the news, Muggle and magical," Andi stated.

"Does she know," that was Tonks.

"No and I won't tell her. She doesn't have to know."

"Mum, it involves her! He's all over the news; has been for nearly a week!"

"Dora, I think what your mother's trying to say is…"

"No. If it were you I'd like to know. Cora has a right."

"I don't want her to know."

At this point I couldn't take it. I wanted to know what my cousins were talking about and why it involved me. I threw open the door. Andi was sitting on the couch, TV set on in front of her. Ted was standing next to the TV with a sympathetic look in his eye. Tonks was standing, back to me, her arms were crossed and her hair was dark red with black highlights. That worried me. Tonks only changed her hair when she was extremely emotional.

"Don't want me to know what?"

Andi sighed as Ted moved to sit down next to his wife. Tonks turned around, her eyes softening. "Cora, there's something we've been keeping from you," Ted said.

I huffed, "Obviously."

Andi grabbed the remote, turning off the TV. She motioned for me to sit next to her as she picked up The Daily Prophet. On the cover was a moving picture of a gaunt looking wizard. His shaggy black hair fell into his dead grey eyes as he struggled in his captors' grasp. He was holding up an Azkaban Prison number plate and under the picture was a caption that read: APPROACH WITH EXTREME CAUTION! DO NOT ATTEMPT TO USE MAGIC ON THIS MAN! What really struck me about him was that he was laughing. I looked away for a moment as flashes of Bellatrix Lestrange's maniacal laughter appeared before my eyes. I blinked a few times and then proceeded to read the article.

**BLACK STILL AT LARGE  
><strong>Sirius Black, possibly the most infamous prisoner ever to be held in Azkaban fortress, is still eluding capture, the Ministry of Magic confirmed today. "We are doing all we can to recapture Black," said the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, this morning, "and we beg the magical community to remain calm." Fudge has been criticized by some members of the International Federation of Warlocks for informing the Muggle Prime Minister of the crisis. "Well, really, I had to, don't you know," said an irritable Fudge. "Black is mad. He's a danger to anyone who crosses him, magic or Muggle. I have the Prime Minister's assurance that he will not breathe a word of Black's true identity to anyone. And let's face it – who'd believe him if he did?" While Muggles have been told that Black is carrying a gun (a kind of metal wand that Muggles use to kill each other), the magical community lives in fear of a massacre like that of twelve years ago, when Black murdered thirteen people with a single curse.

I looked into the shadowed eyes of the man who was my father. The room was still for the longest time. The silence was shattered by my tears hitting the parchment in my hands. I looked up, bleary eyed at my cousins. "Why didn't you tell me," I whispered.

"Darling, we were trying to protect you…"

"From what?"

"Cora," Andi started, "He's a madman."

I shook my head, "No! I don't believe you! I won't!"

I bolted out of the room. My cousins shouted out to me but I didn't stop. I whipped out my wand and did what no underage wizard or witch should do, "_Accio Solo's cage_!" Magic.

Solo hooted wildly as his cage came flying down into my arms. I threw open the front door and wheeled my trunk out, not bothering to close the door. I walked and walked, fuming that my cousins didn't tell me about my escaped convict father. In my fury, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I stopped in front of an old playground, dropping my trunk in the dewy grass. I carried Solo's cage with me over to the rusted swing set. Carefully, I set him down on the sand as I sat in the creaking seat. I kicked off lightly, closing my eyes as I moved back and forwards on the swing.

With one hand, I reached for the chain around my neck. I pulled my necklace from out of my shirt and stared at it. I was going to throw it away that day when I found out about my family. But for some reason, I couldn't. It was the last thing I had of my mom and dad.

When I opened my eyes the wind picked up. I shivered, stopping the swing from moving. The other swings creaked softly as the cool breeze pushed them back and forth. The small merry-go-round turned slowly also creaking softly and the full moon shone brightly on the metal of the slide, giving it an unearthly glow. Leaves rustled in the trees and the sand swirled at my feet as if a storm was coming.

Just as soon as it started, the wind stopped. Everything was quiet now…too quiet. It was weird, I felt as if someone was watching me. Knowing better than to stay seated, I got up and picked Solo up off the ground. I brought him back to my forgotten trunk when I saw something move across the street. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I set my owl down and slowly took out my wand from my back pocket. Something big was in the bushes, darker than the shadows it hid in. I stepped off the curb into the street. The moon's light shone brightly on the silver lining of my necklace, almost blinding me. That's when I saw it; something huge with wide, gleaming eyes.

I let out a small gasp, stepping back. My heels hit the curb and I tripped backwards. The tip of my wand lit up and BANG! Twin beams of white light broke through the darkness. I screamed and pulled my legs onto the pavement just as giant wheels rolled in where I just was. I caught my breath and looked up at what could have possibly killed me. A bright purple triple-decker bus was what appeared out of thin air. Gold lettering over the windshield spelled _The Knight Bus_.

I stared with my mouth open. The doors hissed and snapped back making me jump. A pimple faced man with raccoon eyes wearing a wrinkled conductor's uniform emerged. I grimaced. He looked like he hadn't seen the sun in years.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus. Emergency transportation to the stranded witch or wizard. My name is Stan Shunpike and I will be your conductor this evening," he said monotonously.

I scrambled up, "Uh, hi."

"Uh, hi," Stan Shunpike mimicked. "Well, gettin' on or not?"

He stepped off the bus and went to grab my trunk. I took a hold of Solo's cage and let him carry my trunk onto the bus. While he did this, I peered around and gazed into the shadows. I shook my head. _Probably nothing._ I placed my necklace back in my shirt and stepped onboard.

There were no seats on this bus, only beds. The brass frames looked like they needed to be shined more often and the bed linins most defiantly needed a washing. Up above was a massive chandelier. As Stan placed my trunk by a bed, someone called out my name. I looked down to see my favorite black haired, blue-green eyed, lightning bolt scar-faced friend.

"Harry," I shouted, nearly waking up the entire bus. I jumped into his open arms, squeezing him tightly. When I pulled away I got a good look at my friend. He had gotten taller that's for sure. His jeans were ripped and his shirt dirty. "It's so good to see you! What happened to you? How did you get here? Are you alright?"

Harry chuckled as he stopped me from talking, "I'm fine, honest. It's a long story though. I'll tell you when we get to the Leaky Cauldron."

"Is that where this thing's headed?"

"It's where I need to go. You too I assume?"

"Got that right," I smiled at Harry.

Before either of us could put in another word Stan tapped on the glass window where the driver was sitting. He was an old man, face unshaven and thick glasses askew. A shrunken head dangled from the rearview mirror. "Take 'er away, Ern."

The head cackled, "Yeah take it away, Ern."

_BANG!_ Harry and I fell back on the bed as the Knight Bus sped forwards, making all the beds slide to the back of the bus. I gulped as the chandelier swayed above us. Outside, the bus was swerving violently through oncoming traffic.

"So," Stan smiled at me. "What did you say your name was?"

"I didn't."

"Oh," he looked me over. I was honestly going to throw-up in my mouth. Harry glared at Stan. "Where you off to?"

Harry and I shared a glance. "The Leaky Cauldron," he said for me. "She's going there with me."

"Is that right, Neville," Stan asked. I threw Harry a questioning glance. He gave me a look that read I'll-tell-you-later. Harry stared out the window and asked Stan if driving like this was dangerous. Stan said they hadn't had an accident in a week. That freaked me out.

"Ernie," the shrunken head shouted. "Little ol' lady at twelve o' clock!"

I peered ahead and saw an old woman slowly crossing the street. I grabbed on to the brass bed posts as Ernie slammed on the brakes. Harry flew forward, palms out. The bus stopped inches from the old lady and Harry smacked into the window. He groaned and I pressed my hand against my cheek as I felt the sting of sympathy pain. The shrunken head began a countdown and, as he shouted 'one', Ernie pressed down on the gas, making Harry and all the beds fly back.

"Are you okay," I asked my friend, holding on to his shoulder.

Harry rubbed his cheek, "Yeah, I'll be fine."

As he sat himself down next to me on the bed, he asked Stan who was on the front cover of the Daily Prophet. My eyes widened and I looked away, pretending to be uninterested in their conversation about my dad. My fists clenched when Stan proclaimed that Sirius Black was the number one supporter of You-Know-Who. Harry didn't notice this. Good thing too, I didn't want my best friend knowing that my dad was the one who sold out his parents to You-Know-Who. That would kill him.

Just then, a pair of double-decker buses was moving in time directly towards us. Before I could scream, the entire bus squeezed right between them, making everything longer and skinnier. Of course the shrunken head had to make a stupid joke, "Why the long faces?" The bus shot out between the gap, swerving through Muggle cars quickly.

"This bus," Harry began, looking worried. "Don't Muggles ever…"

"Them," Stan exclaimed. "Don' listen properly do they? Don' look properly either. Never notice nuffin', do they?"

The shrunken head shouted at Ernie to turn. He fanned the wheel, turning the Knight Bus and all its occupants 360 degrees. I screamed, trying to hang on to the bed post. Harry grabbed on the same post then ricocheted to the ground as Ernie slammed on the brakes. With a short scream I fell to the floor on top of Harry. The bus inched forward, squealing to a stop. A car alarm wailed.

Harry groaned from under me. "Oh, I'm sorry."

I got up quickly, holding my hand out to my friend. Harry grasped it and I pulled him up. I looked up at him as we stood just centimeters apart. My top teeth raked across my bottom lip. Our attention was taken away when the bus doors hisses open. Tom, the Innkeeper of the pub, walked onboard.

"Ah, Mr. Potter…at last."

We exited the bus with shaky legs. Stan set my trunk down lightly and smirked at me. "You know," he began. "If yer ever in need of transportation…"

"No," I told him without hesitation. That guy freaked me out. Stan frowned and tossed Solo's cage at me. I caught him (thank god) and looked him over to see if he was alright. I didn't want my owl dying on me. He was my first pet and first friend (pathetic huh?). Stan set Harry's things down and then the Knight Bus whizzed off. I made a vow right there that I would never use the Knight Bus again as long as I lived.

After Tom turned off his car alarm I followed him and Harry into the pub. We went up the wooden staircase to the floor with all the rooms. Outside a newer looking door Tom stopped us. "The Minister of Magic has some things he wishes to discuss with Mr. Potter here," he fished around his pocket and produced a key. "Take room 13. I'll be by in the morning. Have your money ready."

With that he opened the door and led Harry in. When Harry looked back at me I could only give him a reassuring smile. As the door closed I pulled my trunk to room 13. Inside was a very comfortable-looking bed, some polished oak furniture, a fireplace, and vanity mirror. I dragged my trunk in and let it fall to the ground. I pushed the door shut with my foot and sighed. Solo hooted loudly so I set his cage on the tall oak dresser. When I opened his cage he sprang out, flapping wildly. I laughed as I went over to open the window.

"Okay, you, get your exercise. Go make sure Andi, Ted, and Tonks know I'm safe. Give 'em a nippin' for me."

Solo hooted above my head and soared out the open window. I watched my owl as the dark, velvet blue sky streaked with pink and gold. It was hard to believe that I had left home hours ago. It had been a very eventful night and all I wanted was sleep. I pulled off my shoes and as soon as my head hit the pillows, I was asleep.


	4. Summer's End

**A/N: More thanks to **_**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape**_** for telling me you love WttP and **_**Noel Ardnek**_** for making me smile with your totally awesome reviews. From now on, there will be a bit of *cough*bookcopying*cough* which I had to do. Sorry JKR…it must be done. So, if you see something book-y (which is a lot), it's not mine and I don't own. I'm only saying this once. Enjoy!**

_**Chapter 4: Summer's End**_

The next few days I spent every day with Harry. Our rooms were right next to each other. If we weren't walking out into one another's room it was sending Solo or Hedwig out with messages. In the morning we'd eat breakfast in the Leaky Cauldron where we watched the other guests. There were funny little witches from the country who were here to shop; old wizards arguing about the latest article in _Transfiguration Today_; wild-looking warlocks; dwarfs; and one morning Harry though he saw a hag.

After our meal we'd go into the back and head through the archway to Diagon Alley. Our last days of summer were spent exploring shops and eating at different cafes under the brightly colored umbrellas. The other shoppers would come up to us and take a seat whether we wanted them to or not. They'd show us their purchases or, to my dismay, talk about Sirius Black. It seemed everywhere we went there was a wanted poster or two with my dad's face on it. I tried not to show my true feelings about the subject.

Since I had finished my homework at home, I'd help Harry with his. He didn't want to do it but he was just happy he didn't have to do it by flashlight anymore. We would sit outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor in the sunshine for hours occasionally getting help from Mr. Fortescue himself. And, being the nice man he was, gave me and Harry free sundaes every half hour until we couldn't eat anymore.

After a couple of days Harry had to go to Gringotts to get more money. He spent as much as he wanted on whatever he wanted. I couldn't even stop him from buying a very expensive set of solid gold Gobstones. He was also tempted to by a moving model of the galaxy in a large glass ball but I dragged him out of that shop before he could buy it too. Much to his dismay, I brought him along with me into some more feminine shops filled with exotic perfumes, jeweled accessories, and brightly colored, expensive cloaks.

"How about these," I asked my friend. I was holding up a pair of crystal pink chandelier earrings. I could tell Harry was getting annoyed and bored. We had been in this shop for over an hour now. My shopping basket was pretty much empty besides some red and gold knee-high socks, an H charm necklace for Hermione's birthday, and mango scented perfume in a crystal bottle.

Harry made a face and I sighed. I picked up another pair when Harry said, "What about these? They're called Mood Earrings."

I took them from my friend and looked them over. I smiled widely. They were just like those fake mood rings that Muggle children love. I had one when I was growing up at the orphanage. It never worked because after about a month it only stayed one color…black. I threw them in my basket and practically skipped to the front counter to pay. Harry waited for me outside and when I emerged I was carrying my bag of purchases and wearing my new mood earrings. They were blue (relaxed, at ease, calm, lovable).

After my fem shop we stopped at Quality Quidditch Supplies. There was a small crowd in the shop and we were curious to know what they were staring at. We edged inside the small store, squeezing around witches and wizards until we saw what was in the glass incased podium. A beautiful broom was mounted inside. My jaw dropped to the floor. It was the Firebolt: fastest broom in the world at 150 miles an hour in 10 seconds. Harry stared at the broom even as the other shoppers left.

We still had our school supplies to buy though. We stopped at the Apothecary to replenish our potions supplies (well, I went in because Harry was still gawking at that broom…men). Harry needed to get new robes at Madam Malkin's Robes for all Occasions and we also needed our new books. On that list was _The Monster Book of Monsters_ (thank god Hagrid had personally delivers that to me and Hermione), _Unfogging the Future_, _Intermediate Transfiguration_, and _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Three_.

The next morning I was awoken by the sounds of passing trains. I groaned as I rolled over to get out of bed. Solo was perched on the bed post sleeping soundly. I muttered about how lucky owls were to sleep in the day. I dressed in light blue jean shorts and a red tank top. I pulled my black hair into a ponytail and applied light makeup. When I opened my door, Harry was standing there with his fist up.

"Hiya Harry," I greeted him warmly.

"Hey, Cora. I see your mood hasn't changed," he smiled.

"Well that's because I'm always in a blue mood," Harry raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you know what I mean. Relaxed and calm, not sad. Although, they did change last night. I got into a little fight with _The Monster Book of Monsters_."

"You too, then," he looked down at his shoes. I held in a giggle. One of his shoes was perfect, the other…well let's just say Harry's going to need a new pair of shoes soon. I closed my door and joined him out in the hall. Just as we were about to head down the stairs, a ragged rat ran passed us followed by an ugly orange cat. As we moved down the stairs a smile appeared on Harry's face.

"I'm warning you, Hermione. Keep that bloody beast of yours away from Scabbers or I'll turn it into a tea cozy!"

"He's a cat, Ronald! What do you expect? It's in his nature." Harry and I reached the bottom step, smiling at the argument our friends were having. Ron was protectively holding Scabbers while Hermione was stroking her hissing cat.

"A cat? Is that what they told you? Looks more like a pig with hair if you ask me."

Hermione huffed, "That's rich coming from the owner of that smelly old shoe brush."

Hermione spoke to her cat, telling it to ignore Ron's rudeness. Ron looked up, seeing me and Harry. He smiled, "Harry! Cora!"

"When did you two get here," Hermione asked.

"A few days ago, actually," I told her.

Ron's eyes lit up, "Do you want to hear about Egypt?"

We sat in a line at a table looking at the article about the Weasleys' in the Daily Prophet. The headline said: **Grand Prize Winner Visits Egypt!** Ron smoothed out the clipping for us. Hermione sighed, her cat in her arms. I guessed she had heard about this a hundred times or so. Harry smiled at Ron and asked what it was like.

"Brilliant! It's got loads of old stuff. Mummies. Death masks. Tombs and –"

"You know that ancient Egyptians worshiped cats," Hermione leaned over me to boast. Ron rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, along with the dung beetle."

From behind us, the other Weasleys arrived. Molly was laden with shopping bags; Arthur was trying to help her. Percy walked in the pub like he owned the place, Hogwarts Head Boy badge shining. Ginny walked passed us, muttering a 'hello' without looking at us. I knew she still had a huge thing for Harry. Then, in came the twins in all their glory. They'd be starting their fifth year this year and were still loads of trouble. Full of double trouble (oh see what I did there, double trouble…because they're twins…yeah never mind).

George leaned down and snatched the clipping away from Ron. "Not showing that clipping about again, are you, Ron?

"I haven't shown anyone," he retorted.

"No, not a soul," Fred laughed. "Unless you count Tom, the day maid, the night maid –"

"–the cook, the bloke that came to fix the toilet –"

"–and that wizard from Belgium," I wasn't able to hold in my laugh. I loved it when they finished each other's sentences. It was so funny and cute.

"Harry, how nice to see you," Percy came over, holding out his hand.

"Hello, Percy," Harry sounded amused.

"I certainly hope you're well," he said pompously, shaking Harry's hand. I thought it was rather funny to watch. And then… "Coralynn! Good to see you as well."

I cleared my throat. I decided to play the part with a terrible British accent, "Yes, yes, well things aren't so bad, ol' chap. Yourself?"

I almost lost it when Percy didn't catch on, "Splendid!"

"Harry," Fred pushed Percy away from us and bowed deeply. "Simply splendid to see you old boy –"

"Marvelous," George jumped in, pushing Fred away and grabbing Harry's hand. "Absolutely spiffing. And Coralynn! Wonderful to see you too!"

George grasped my hand, kissing it lightly. Fred placed his hand on his twin's head and pushed him off. He got down on his knee, taking my other hand and kissing it, "Spectacular seeing you here, my lady. The sun shines just a little brighter when you're in the room."

If I wasn't laughing so hard I'd be embarrassed. Percy scowled at his brothers' display. Molly walked over, "That's enough now, boys."

"Mum," Fred jumped up, exclaiming. He seized her hand too and shook it. "How really corking to see you –"

"I said, that's enough," Molly scolded her twin sons. Harry and I smiled at my godmother. She took Harry's face, "Good to see you again, Harry."

"Good to see you too, Mrs. Weasley."

Molly turned to me and pulled me into one of her bear hugs, "Oh and Cora, dear. I'm glad to see you well. How was your summer?"

"Thanks, Molly. I'm fine." _Lie._ "My summer was wonderful." _Half lie._ "Living with the Tonks' has been amazing. I wish I knew about them earlier." _Not a lie._

"Well dear, things happen for a reason."

"Cora," Arthur greeted. "How are you?"

"Fine thanks," I replied. "And you?"

"Splendid," he turned away from me and looked at Harry. The two walked away and I listened in on the conversation Molly, Fred, George, and Ginny were having.

"George's nose looks positively massive in that photograph," Fred stated as he looked closely at the picture.

"That's your nose, Fred," Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Bloody hell! Is it really? Take after your side of the family, don't I, Mum?"

Molly looked as if she was going to smack her son upside the head. "Why can't you two act like Percy? Second Head Boy in the family! I noticed they haven't made you two prefects."

"What would we want to be prefects for," George asked, revolted at the idea. "It'd take all the fun out of life."

Ginny and I giggled. Molly snapped, "You want to set a better example for your sister and god-sister!"

"Ginny's got other brothers to set her and example, Mum," Percy put in as he passed us. She joined him as they went upstairs to their rooms. When they disappeared, George sighed heavily.

"We tried to shut him in a pyramid," he told me. "But Mum spotted us."

After dinner that night, the Weasley's, Hermione, Harry, and I all sat at a long table talking about school. Apparently, the Ministry wasn't going to take any chances with Sirius Black and provide Azkaban guards to the school. From what Arthur was saying and how Molly reacted, that wasn't a good thing. As it got later our table got smaller and smaller. Soon I was the last one there. With a long yawn I got up and left too.

Crouching on the landing were Fred and George, laughing as they listened to Percy turning his and Ron's room upside-down looking for something. I heard him shout to the youngest Weasley male about his badge. It had gone missing.

Rolling my eyes, I approached the twins. I held out my hand, "Give it here."

"Aw wittle Co-wa come to wuin our fun," George snickered.

"We've only been improving it," Fred whispered. I looked down at the silver badge. It now read _Bighead Boy_. I felt the corner of my lips rise into a smirk.

I clutched in my hand and knocked on the door. Fred and George scampered away, still snickering. A disheveled Percy answered the door. I held out my hand, returning the badge. Percy looked like he could hug me. I gave him a you-know-who-took-it look. He muttered the names of the twins darkly and shut the door.

That night, as I listened to the muffled trains outside, I wondered why I didn't feel scared. Sirius Black, my father, had killed 13 people with one curse. No one knew my secret and I was pretty sure I was not going to tell anyone. And what about the whole Black being You-Know-Who's right-hand man? Should I be scared of that? Arthur said that with Hogwarts and Dumbledore we'd all be safe. Honestly I didn't even believe that. My dad escaped from Azkaban in a blink of an eye. Could he get into Hogwarts just the same?

I felt bad for Harry the most. If he knew, if I told him…it'd kill him. They say Black is out to get him. To finish what he started 12 years ago. Harry was a strong person; he could look after himself. I mean, he did get passed You-Know-Who three times already. I hated that his every move would be watched until the danger of Sirius Black had passed.

"I won't let my dad kill Harry," I whispered to myself. That was a promise I intended to keep.


	5. Dementor

**A/N: Thanks readers! And more thanks to those who reviewed like**_** MaddieDot**_**!**

_**Chapter 5: Dementor**_

As the Hogwarts Express blared its horn students rushed onboard the train. Parents hurried their children along, children too young to attend the school waved goodbye to their lucky older siblings…and Molly Weasley dashed to a compartment window holding out a rat.

"Ron! Ron," she cried to her youngest son, trying to hand his animal over to him.

Ron waved his thanks to his mother as the train slowly pulled out of Platform 9 ¾. Inside, the aisle was teeming with students. Harry, Ron, Hermione and I worked our way down the aisle, looking for an empty compartment. Harry was just telling us about the incident with his aunt over summer.

"I didn't mean to blow her up. I just…" he stopped to think. "…lost control."

"Brilliant," Ron commended. We high-fived each other. It was a pretty funny story.

"Honestly, you two, it's not funny. Harry's lucky he wasn't expelled," Hermione scolded us.

"I still think it was funny," I muttered as I pushed myself to a compartment. "C'mon, this one's not full."

Inside was a man with shabby robes, slumped against the window, asleep. He looked ill, exhausted, and a lot like Remus Lupin. My three friends eyed him suspiciously as I took the seat next to him. If it was my godfather, then yay for me. If not, then whatever. This man will wake up to four teenage kids in his compartment.

"Who d'you reckon he is," Ron asked, setting Scabbers down.

"Professor R.J. Lupin," Hermione stated. _I knew it!_

"You know everything," Ron looked at me and Harry. "How is it she knows everything?"

Hermione pointed to the rack above him, "It's on his case, Ronald."

Sure enough, the letters on the bettered case said Professor R.J. Lupin. "You really think he's asleep," Harry asked, face to the compartment door.

"Seems to be," I told him. "Why? What is it, Harry?"

"I have to tell you something."

Harry closed the door. My two other friends exchanged worried glances and I looked back to my sleeping godfather. Or, I hoped he was actually sleeping. Harry explained all about Molly and Arthur's argument that night at the Leaky Cauldron and the warning Arthur gave Harry about Sirius Black. When he told us Sirius Black escaped Azkaban to find him, I averted my eyes to the window. Storm clouds like dark silhouettes tossed heavy sheets of rain down on the land. When Harry finished I closed my eyes. I could just see my earrings turning amber (nervous, mixed emotions, unsettled). When I opened my eyes, Ron looked thunderstruck and Hermione had her hands over her mouth.

"Let me get this straight," Ron gulped. "Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban to come after you."

Harry nodded. That made Hermione frown, "But they'll catch Black, won't they? I mean, everyone's looking for him."

"Sure, of course," Ron's voice cracked. 'No one's ever broken out of Azkaban before. And Black's a raving, murderous lunatic…"

"Thanks, Ron," Harry shook his head at the ginger.

The compartment was quiet and tense until I decided to speak. "So, who's excited for Hogsmeade?"

"I am," Ron practically shouted. "Fred and George told me all about it. It's the only entirely non-Muggle settlement in all of Britain. But that's not why I want to go. I just want to get inside Honeydukes!"

"What's that," Hermione asked.

"It's a sweetshop," a dreamy look came over Ron's face. "They've got everything. Pepper Imps – they make you smoke at the mouth – and great fat Chocoballs full of strawberry mousse and clotted cream, sugar quills that you can suck in class and it looks like you're just thinking what to write next…"

"But Hogsmeade is a very interesting place, isn't it," Hermione pressed.

Ron continued on, making me lick my lips in hunger, "…and massive sherbet balls that make you levitate a few inches…"

"It'll be nice to get out of school for a bit," I told Harry and Hermione. Ron was still going on about the sweets.

"Sure. You'll have to tell me what it's like," Harry sighed.

"What do you mean," I asked.

"I can't go. The Dursleys didn't sign my permission form, and Fudge wouldn't either."

Ron looked horrified. He started spouting out ways we could get Harry to go. Get McGonagall to sign it, or Dumbledore, and Fred and George knew secret passages out of the castle. Hermione wouldn't have any of it. Soon the conversation turned back to Sirius Black.

The rain thickened as the train sped on. Just then, the compartment rattled. Lanterns flickered, rain hammered, wind roared and still, the Professor in our compartment slept. The train lurched and slowed. Hermione, who had stood up to go change into her robes, fell into Ron, pinning him against the window. I watched in amusement as the two exchanged an awkward glance and Hermione slid away from Ron. She checked her watch, frowning.

"Why are we stopping? We can't be there yet…"

I rose, slid open the door, and peered into the corridor. All along the carriage, heads looked out curiously. I looked one way and saw Seamus Finnegan and Lavender Brown looking out their compartments. The other way, Percy Weasley was storming down the hall, telling everyone to stay calm and get back in their compartments. Suddenly the train jerked again, swaying the whole car. I stumbled back into the compartment just as I was shutting the door. The lights flickered one last time before they died one by one. All was dark.

"Is now a good time to tell you guys I don't like the dark," I whispered, scooting closer to Harry.

"What's going on," Ron gasped out.

A thin wisp of steam escaped Ron's mouth. It wasn't too long before we could all see our breath. Ron wiped the condensation from the window, trying to get a good look outside. He told us there was something moving outside. The car swayed violently then righted itself. The window crackled as it frosted over. I shivered, rubbing my arms.

"Oh god," I whispered. "Why is it so cold?"

My attention was averted towards the compartment door when a hand (a dried up scabby one at that) gripped the door. It pushed it aside revealing a towering cloaked figure, its face hidden beneath its black hood. The folds of the hood trembled and a bone-rattling intake of air was heard. An intense cold swept over us all. I felt my own breath catch in my chest. The cold went deeper than my skin; it was inside me, inside my heart. I felt as if I'd never be happy again.

I thought I felt my eyes involuntarily closing. I felt like I was drowning and there was no one to pull me up. I saw my mother's death, I saw my father's destruction, I saw my very soul on fire. Thick white fog was swirling around me – inside me – and I couldn't get it out.

Just then, Remus stood up, wand pointed at the thing. The tip of his wand blazed brightly and the creature sped away from our compartment. Hermione shook me, calling my name. I blinked a couple of times before focusing on her face. She sighed.

"What happened?"

"After that thing came in you just zoned out. Harry fainted!"

"What," I gasped, standing up quickly. Bad idea. I suddenly felt dizzy. Remus sat down next to me, holding something sweet smelling in front of my face.

"Here, eat this. It's chocolate."

I gave a small smile of thanks to my godfather and nibbled on the delicious chocolate. While Hermione and Ron where fussing over Harry, Remus winked. My smiled got a bit wider.

"Harry! Harry! Are you alright," Hermione hovered over Harry's face. He nodded and sat up. Ron, who looked pallid, handed Harry his glasses.

Remus broke off more chocolate and handed it to Harry, "Chocolate. Eat. It'll help."

"What was that – that thing," Harry asked him.

"A Dementor," Remus told my friend. "One of the guards of Azkaban. It's gone now."

Harry frowned in confusion. Hermione looked up at Remus and then at Harry, "It was searching the train, Harry. For Sirius Black."

"I need to have a word with the driver. Excuse me," we all watched as our soon-to-be Professor walked out of the compartment. At the door he turned back to Harry. "Eat. It'll help."

As he left, Harry turned to us, "What happened to me?"

"Well you sorta went…ridged. We thought maybe you were having a fit or something."

"And did any of you…pass out?"

"No," Ron shook his head. "Cora kinda zoned out. But I felt weird. Like…I'd never be cheerful again."

"I was trembling…cold," Hermione said. "But Professor Lupin made it go away."

Harry frowned, "But someone was screaming. A woman."

Ron, Hermione, and I nervously glanced at each other. Hermione looked at him with her famous worried expression, "No one was screaming Harry."

Harry looked passed us at the window. Ron and Hermione took their seats as the lights flickered on and the train began moving. I took Remus' previous seat and stared out the now unfrozen window. I wouldn't tell them…but I too heard screaming. It was a man.


	6. Back to Hogwarts

_**Chapter 6: Back to Hogwarts**_

We didn't talk much during the remainder of the journey. At last, the train stopped at Hogsmeade station, and there was a great scramble to get outside. It was freezing out on the platform; rain poured down in icy sheets. My three friends and I followed the rest of the school along the platform and out to the rough, muddy tracks where at least a hundred stagecoaches awaited us. Each was pulled by a black skeletal horse with wings. I thought they had some sort of dark beauty to them. We climbed in and shut the door. The coach set off, bumping and swaying as we went along.

In the Great Hall, after the sorting, a choir, led by Professor Flitwick, rang throughout the hall. Up above, the ceiling was dark and stormy; flashing lightning every once in a while. At the High Table I saw Remus sitting besides Snape and McGonagall. Filch looked on in annoyance as the choir sang on. When the song finally concluded Dumbledore stood at his podium, beaming over the sea of black hats.

"Welcome! Welcome to another year at Hogwarts," Dumbledore greeted the entire school. "I have a few things to say, before we become befuddled by our excellent feast. First, I am pleased to welcome Professor R.J. Lupin, who had kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts. Good luck to you, Professor."

Amid the scattered applause, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I clapped the loudest (me louder than them of course). I beamed up at my godfather. "Of course! That's why he knew to give you two the chocolate," Hermione smiled at me and Harry.

"As some of you may know, Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher for many years, has decided to retire in order to spend more time with his remaining limbs. Fortunately, I am delighted to announce that his place will be filled by none other than out own Rubeus Hagrid," my eyes widened. The entire Gryffindor table applauded vigorously. Even some Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs joined in. At the table, Hagrid turned red. McGonagall nudged him and when Hagrid rose, the table nearly toppled over. Dumbledore stopped the applause and suddenly looked grave. "Finally, on a more disquieting note, Hogwarts – at the request of the Ministry of Magic – will be playing host to the Dementors of Azkaban."

Murmurs of apprehension filled the hall. A cold chill ran up my spine, making me shudder and giving me goose bumps. Over at the Slytherin table, Draco Malfoy, between his cronies Crabbe and Goyle, looked over at us. Harry stared straight at the jerk. Draco smirked, feigning a dead faint. He turned back around as he snickered with his fellow Slytherins.

"Ignore him, Harry," I whispered to my friend.

Dumbledore began again, "The Dementors will be stationed at the entrances to the grounds. While they are under strict orders not to enter the castle itself, you will on occasion see them as you go about your daily activities. Under no circumstances are you to approach them. It is not in the nature of a Dementor to be forgiving."

After a delicious dinner, students exited the Great Hall. I walked with Hermione and Ginny back to our Common Room. We waved or shouted greetings to those we knew as we scaled the marble staircases. Hermione chattered on about her classes this year and about the schedule she made for herself. Apparently Hermione was taking more classes than actually needed for a third year. There were the 7 required classes, Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, Ancient Runes, and Muggle Studies. That blew my mind; a muggleborn taking Muggle Studies. She told me and Ginny that she was curious to know how wizards and witches saw Muggles.

On the seventh floor we joined the mob of fellow Gryffindors trying to get into the Common Room. The Fat Lady was making an awful racket. She had a glass in hand and was screeching like a banshee. Many different Gryffindors shouted out the password. No one cared who heard. We just wanted in. I pushed my way to the front where Ron and Harry were standing.

"Fortuna Major," Harry gave the password.

The Fat Lady looked at all of us in annoyance. She held her hand out, still looking at the wine glass, "Wait, wait!"

She let out another Banshee-like screech. I groaned, pressing my hands to my ears. "God woman, just let us in!"

"Wait, wait. I've almost got it," The Fat Lady scolded. She let out an even louder screech which made all the portraits shudder and the students plug their ears. As she screeched, The Fat Lady looked from us to the glass and back to us. She noticeably smashed the wine glass against the pillar behind her. "Oh, look at that! Just with the sound of my voice."

Tired of her antics, Harry said, "Fortuna Major!"

"Yes, yes, alright. Go in," The Fat Lady opened the portrait and the cluster of Gryffindors entered the Common Room.

I voiced my dislike of our portrait as I walked to the stairs with Harry, Ron, and Hermione (who I didn't notice was standing beside me the entire time). "She always does something like that. Always," Harry complained. Ron nodded as the two went towards the staircase leading to the boys dormitories. Hermione and I stayed behind long enough to see Dean Thomas walk right through a Gryffindor ghost. I laughed as he swat at himself.

I climbed the spiral stair hardly listening to Hermione. I had no other thought except how glad I was to be back at Hogwarts. We reached the familiar circular dormitory with our four-poster beds. I smiled brightly when I saw my stuff right next to one of the two windows in our room.

Hermione went straight to her bed and began to lay out her clothes for the next day. I sat on my bed, testing out its comfy-ness. Then, in came our fellow roommates: Lavender Brown, Parvati Patil, and Jo Walker.

"Cora, Hermione," Lavender greeted us with a nod. "How was your summer?"

"It was nice," I replied. "And yours?"

Bad idea. Lavender went off about her trip to Berlin and how it was jus _sooooo_ hot and how the wizards there were not attractive at all. Hermione asked about the magical aspect of it all. Lavender said it was just like here, but with a few more all magical towns.

Parvati whispered something to Jo and the two giggled. "Who wants to play a nice warm 'welcome back to Hogwarts' game of Truth or Dare," Jo asked us all. Of course, Lavender was all for it, jumping on Jo's bed.

Hermione, now changed in her sleepwear, shook her head, "We have classes in the morning."

"Oh, come on Hermione," I whined, pulling her arm. "One round won't kill ya."

My friend sighed heavily, "Fine. But only one round."

We all crowded around Jo and Parvati's beds. Lavender cleared her throat and looked at each of us. "Truth or Dare…" she narrowed her eyes. "Jo!"

Jo ended up choosing Truth. Lavender asked her if she really did make-out with Cormac McLaggen last year. Jo's face went red as she whispered that she did. Lavender and Parvati burst out laughing. I smiled a little. I mean, who would really want that pompous ass's tongue down their throat? Jo asked Lavender and the girl chose Dare.

"I dare _you_ to get to second base with Cormac McLaggen!"

The other girls laughed (although Hermione looked appalled). I placed my fist to my mouth, "Oh snap! You done been played, sista!" The four girls looked at me like I was crazy. "What?"

"You are so weird, American Girl," Lavender shook her head at me. Her attention turned to Jo. "Fine. By the end of this month that boy will be eating out of my hand."

"Good luck with that," Parvati muttered.

She chose Hermione and my best friend picked Truth. That was Hermione for ya, always choosing the safer option. Parvati asked her why she studied so much and never hung out with them. Hermione answered that she was muggleborn and wanted to show the magical community that she deserves to be a witch and she is just as good as any pure or halfblood. Lavender, Parvati, Jo, and I were silent. I had no idea she felt that way… Hermione chose Parvati and the Indian girl said Truth. Hermione asked what classes she was taking this year.

"Oh, Hermione, that's lame," Jo commented. Parvati gave my friend a nice smile and said she was taking all the required classes: Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology, Defense Against the Dark Arts, History of Magic, and Astronomy. She also signed up for Divination (like many of the third years do) and Muggle Studies.

Now, it was my turn. Naturally, I chose Dare. "Okay," Lavender said as she jumped off Jo's bed. I watched as she yawned and got comfortable in her own. "You have to have your first kiss by Christmas."

I walked over to my four-poster, getting under the covers. Already I noticed that Jo had turned off her light. "Not so bad," I admitted, yawning. As the lights in the room went off one by one, I snuggled under my warm covers. I smiled. I was finally home. Despite the Dementors and the imminent threat of Sirius Black, I was home. God, I was glad to be back at Hogwarts.


	7. Divination Disaster

_**Noel Ardnek**_**: I totally agree with you! I think I was in 5th or 6th grade when the third movie came out. The Dementors gave me nightmares for weeks. As to that kiss…you'll have to wait and see.**

_**Mira SeverusSirius BlackSnape**_**: Thank you again for loving my story. I'm not going to reveal who Cora kisses just yet…**

_**Chapter 7: Divination Disaster**_

The next morning I found myself sitting at a small round table all alone. I was perched on fat little pillow in a murky, incense-laden room. The Divination tower was the strangest classroom I had been in yet. In fact, it hardly looked like a classroom at all. More like a cross between an attic and an old-fashioned tea shop. Lots of small tables like the one I was at were crammed in the tower. Everyone was sitting on little multicolored poufs. It was very dim with red light and the windows were shut, paisley drapes shut. It was too warm and I found myself loosening my necktie and hiking up my skirt to my knees. My fellow third years had the same idea. Boys took off their robes and girls pulled their hair off their necks.

"Welcome, my children," our Professor greeted us. She was a very thin woman; her large glasses magnified her eyes making them look like saucers. She was draped in a gaudy spangled shawl and had bangles up and down her arms. "In this room you shall explore the mysterious art of Divination. In this room you shall discover if you possess…the Sight. I am Professor Trelawney. Together we shall cast ourselves into the future!"

There was a murmur of laughter as Professor Trelawney through up her hand. She hit the table stand next to her, causing the large tea pot on it to wobble. She slammed her hands on it so it wouldn't fall.

"Know this. One either has the Gift or not. It cannot be divined from the pages of a book. Books only cloud one's Inner Eye."

I snorted. _Sucks for Hermione then._ No sooner had I though Hermione's name, she was sitting next to Ron and Harry. _What the hell?_ I nudged her back with my foot. When she turned around I mouthed, 'when'd you get here?' Hermione waved me off and turned back to the front.

Professor Trelawney spun around, startling Seamus and Neville. She asked if Neville's grandmother was well. He said he thought so. Trelawney asked for his cup. When she got it she gave Neville a sympathetic groan and moved on. He stared at his cup, trying to read what it said.

Trelawney looked at Parvati and hummed, "Beware a red-head man." My fellow Gryffindor stared at Ron in shock (she was sitting behind him) and scooted closer to the table she shared with her Ravenclaw twin, Padma.

The newly dubbed crazy (in my mind) Professor continued her little rant from before, "Unfortunately, classes will be disrupted in February by a nasty bout of flu. I myself will lose my voice. And in late spring, one of our number will leave us…forever."

That did not sound good. Trelawney told us to break off into pairs. We were to get a tea cup from the shelf and bring it to her to fill. Next we had to sit quietly and drink the tea until only the dregs remained. Swirl those in the cup three times with the left hand, turn the cup upside down on the saucer and wait for it to drain. After, we had to give out cup to our partner to read. We had to interpret this using our book, _Unfogging the Future_. Before we split up, Trelawney told Neville that after he broke the first cup to pick a blue one. It was weird.

I partnered with Hermione. She picked a purple cup and I grabbed a white one. Sure enough, Neville broke his pink one. Trelawney had to remind him to take a blue one. Our tea was poured and Hermione and I sat at our table behind Harry and Ron. We drank in silence and preformed all the correct instructions. I took Hermione's cup and stared at it. The tea leaves mutated oddly. It just looked like a load of brown stuff to me. I consulted the book and it made me feel stupid.

"This is rubbish," Hermione commented as she flipped through the pages.

"Broaden your minds, my dears!"

I rolled my eyes. "Right," I flipped though the tea leaves chapter. "Hermione you have what looks like a…tortoise. It means…oh."

I paused. Hermione would not like what it meant. She already thought this class was crap. "Well," she pressed, not looking up from my tea leaves.

"It means you attempt that of which you have no knowledge," Hermione's head snapped up. I gave her a weak smile. "Of course, I could be wrong."

"Remember," Trelawney voiced. "The tea leaves never lie!"

Hermione slammed her book down, placing my cup on the saucer rather hard, "You have a walking stick. It means the arrival of a male visitor, whatever that means."

For the rest of the class, Hermione pouted. I began to flip through the book when there was a crash and Professor Trelawney let out a loud yelp. She looked at Harry with a mixture of pity and fear. "My dear boy, you have…the Grim."

"Grin? What's the Grin," Seamus asked.

"Grim. Not the Grin, you idiot," a Ravenclaw girl rolled her eyes.

"What does that mean," John Haring asked.

"'The Grim'," Bem, a Nigerian boy, read. "'Taking the form of a giant spectral dog, it is among the darkest omens of our world. It is an omen of death'."

My stomached lurched. Everyone was looking at Harry, everyone except Hermione. Trelawney released us and everyone gave their tea cups back to Professor Trelawney and packed up their things. Hermione was the first person out of the tower. Harry, Ron, and I had to run to catch her going down the stair. We walked to our next class in silence. That happened to be Transfiguration with McGonagall. Today we were learning about Animagi (wizards who could transform into animals). I must have been the only person actually paying attention because I was the only one who gasped when McGonagall turned herself into a tabby cat.

"Really, what has gotten into you today," she asked when she changed back.

Hermione rose her hand, "Please, Professor, we've just finished our first Divination class, and we were reading the tea leaves and –"

"Tell me, Miss Granger, which of you will be dying this year."

"Me," Harry raised his hand.

"I see. Then you should know, Potter, that Sibyll Trelawney has predicted the death of one student a year since she arrived at this school. None of them has died yet. Seeing death omens is her favorite way of greeting a new class," McGonagall stopped to think. She had our attention now. "Divination is one of the most imprecise branches of magic. True Seers are very rare, and Professor Trelawney – well, you look in excellent health, Potter. So excuse me if I don't let you off homework this year. I assure you that if you die, you need not hand it in."

Hermione laughed. I felt better in some way. It was good to know that Divination was a bunch of hocus pocus. McGonagall was right. Harry wasn't going to die, Hermione was a smarty-pants in everything, Ron…well I don't know what Harry saw in his cup, and I doubted that male visitor would come. As we left Transfiguration I paused in the corridor. What if that man was someone I knew? What if he was Sirius Black? Ron pulled me out of my daze and down to our next class.


	8. Care of Magical Creatures

**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape: I know, I'm sooooo mean lol.**

**Bethy-Boodles: YES! First reader to get my references. You have made my day. I have a ton of AVPM/AVPS references coming up. **

**Noel Ardnek: As always, your review made me smile. I love the way you think.**

_**Chapter 8: Care of Magical Creatures**_

After Divination and Transfiguration, I was pleased to get out of the stuffy castle. Yesterday's storm had passed leaving a clear, blue sky. Ron, Harry, Hermione, and I walked through the bridge to Hagrid's hut for our first Care of Magical Creatures lesson. In the distance the Whomping Willow twisted its trunk and shook its branches.

"Death omens," Hermione shook her head. She was still going on about our Divination lesson. "If you ask me, Divination's a very wooly discipline. Now, Ancient Runes, that's a fascinating subject."

"Ancient Runes," Ron said incredulously. "Exactly how many classes are you taking this term?"

"A fair few," she replied as he four of us made our way down the sloping hill.

"Hang on," Ron stopped. "Ancient Runes is the same time as Divination. You'd have to be in two places at once."

"Don't be silly, Ron," I told him quickly. I grabbed a hold of Hermione's arm and began walking again. "How could anyone be in two places at once?"

Hermione smiled at me. "Broaden your minds," she mimicked Trelawney. The two of us laughed as we joined our classmates in front of Hagrid's hut. My mood earrings instantly turned red (excited, energized, adventurous, ready to go).

Hagrid emerged from his hut as we all stopped to chat. My three friends and I joined up with Seamus, Dean, and Neville and began a conversation about Quidditch. That's when I noticed Draco, Crabbe, Goyle, and Blaise Zabini were in this class.

Hagrid beckoned us all to him. "C'mon now, get a move on. Got a real treat fer ya. Great lesson comin' up. Follow me."

For a moment, I swore Hagrid was leading us into the Forbidden Forest. However, Hagrid strolled off around his hut and to a small paddock just on the edge of the forest. In the paddock, iron wracks stood in the ground with dead ferrets hanging off them. Flies buzzed around the dead animals.

"Gather 'round. Find yerself a spot. Now firs' thing ye'll want ter do is open yer books."

"And exactly how do we do that," Draco asked through gritted teeth.

He took out his copy of _The Monster Book of Monsters_, which had been bound shut with rope. Other people had belted theirs shut (like me and Harry). I saw some books crammed into tight bags or clamped together with large binder clips. However they books were shut, they all looked like they wanted to eat the person they belonged to.

"Yeh stroke the spine o' course," Hagrid told him like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

I tapped the belt binding with my wand. Before my book could bite off my hand, I stroked the spine. The book shivered and fell open softly. The rest of the class did the same. Harry, Hermione, Ron and I walked over to a broken up cement wall and set our stuff down. Neville let out a yelp as his book began attacking him.

"Neville, you stroke it," Ron chuckled. Neville nodded, his clothes ripped to shreds in some places.

Hagrid disappeared into the trees to go get our lesson. I began talking to Harry when Draco spoke for all to hear. "God, this place has gone to the dogs! Wait until my father hears Dumbledore's got this oaf teaching classes."

Harry turned to Draco. He walked menacingly towards him, "Listen, you stupid prat –"

Suddenly, Draco's eyes widened in fear. He stepped back, pointing above our heads. "D – Dementor! Dementor!"

Everyone looked back in fear. I gasped, clutching Harry's hand. Nothing was there. Instantly, the Slytherins put up their hoods, making eerie moaning sounds. They burst out laughing. I gave Draco and his cronies the bird as I pulled Harry away from them. Then, a strange beast emerged from the trees. It had the body, hind legs, and tail of a horse, but the front legs, winds, and head of an eagle. Most of us stepped back in fear. Hagrid shooed the beast on towards us.

"Beau'iful, ain't he?"

"Hagrid," Ron gulped. "What is that?"

"A Hippogriff 'o course," I stared at the creature in awe. "This is Buckbeak. Now Hippogriffs are very proud creatures. Easily offended, they are. Don't never insult one, 'cause it migh' be the las' thing yeh do," Hagrid told us.

To my right I noticed Draco and his gang weren't listening. They were probably plotting to disrupt the class somehow. When Hagrid asked who wanted to go first, everyone stepped back. Harry, who had zoned out, stood in front. When he realized what happened, he turned to look at us. I shrugged. The Hippogriff tossed its head. Harry reluctantly approached Buckbeak.

"Tha's it, easy now," Hagrid said to Harry as my friend got closer to the creature. "Stop! Yer wan' ter let 'im make the firs' move. Jus' take a step forward…good. Give 'im a bow and if 'e bows back yeh can touch 'im."

Unsure, Harry took a step forward. The entire class seemed to be holding its breath. Even the Slytherins were anxious to know what was going to happen. Harry bowed awkwardly to the Hippogriff. Buckbeak's head cocked as it studied Harry. Then it began stamping the ground. Hagrid told him to back off. Harry slowly moved back when Buckbeak bowed his feathery head. Hagrid sighed in relief.

He began clapping which led to the class clapping, "Well done, Harry! Go on, give 'im a pat." Harry reached out, laying his hand on the creature's beak. We broke out into more claps. Harry sighed. "Look at that! I reckon he migh' let yeh ride 'im."

"What," Harry visibly paled.

Hagrid lifted Harry off the ground. "We'll jus' set yeh behind the wing joint. Mind yeh don' pull any feathers out. He won' like that," the half-giant placed Harry on Buckbeak's back. Before Harry could settle, Hagrid slapped Buckbeack's hind.

As Buckbeack galloped forward, I though Harry was going to fall of the creature's back. Its wings unfolded, huge and powerful. The Hippogriff flapped and took off into the air. I followed the crowd as we chased the creature to the edge of the paddock. I joined in on the cheering as I shielded my eyes from the sun, watching Buckbeak fly off passed the top of the forest. After what seemed like hours, Hagrid whistled loudly. Buckbeak suddenly appeared over the trees, gliding his way back down to the paddock. When he landed, I noticed Harry's look of euphoria. He slid off the Hippogriff's back and we surrounded him, cheering.

Hagrid commended Harry, whispering something to him. I saw Harry just smile and nod. Our Professor (kinda weird, calling Hagrid our Professor) whistled again and more Hippogriffs appeared out of the trees. Hagrid assigned four students per creature. We were to see if it would bow back and let us touch it. That was all. No more flying today.

I watched as my classmates began bowing nervously. Some Hippogriffs bowed back, others, like Neville's, hardly bent its knees. Draco, Crabbe, Goyle, and Zabini took over Buckbeak. Draco had managed to get him to bow and was now disdainfully patting the creature's beak.

I had just started patting the chestnut Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I were given when Draco announced for all to hear. "You're not dangerous at all, are you, you great ugly brute –"

"Malfoy! No!"

In a flash, Buckbeak reared back, steely talons slashing wildly. Draco let out a girly screech, blood blossoming on his white button-up. Hagrid began forcing the Hippogriff back from the group of people now surrounding the wounded Slytherin. He chucked a dead ferret in the direction of the trees and Buckbeak went after it.

"It's killed me! It's killed me," Draco moaned, rolling on the floor as he held his arm. I rolled my eyes. _The big baby._

"Hagrid," Hermione stepped up. "He's got to be taken to the hospital."

Hagrid scooped up the boy, looking shaken. He shouted back to us as he lumbered toward the castle. "Class dismissed."

Blood was splattered on the grass where Draco had been laying. The class began walking back to the castle. I watched as the other Hippogriffs trotted off back into the forest. Hermione grabbed my arm and dragged me along. During the walk, the Slytherins were all shouting about Hagrid.

Pansy Parkinson was in tears as she cried over Draco. She wanted Hagrid fired right away and her fellow Slytherins agreed. Dean blamed Draco, Crabbe and Goyle stopped, staring him down in the scariest way. When we stepped inside the entrance hall, the other Hogwarts students were going to lunch. Pansy and some other Slytherins ran off, saying something about seeing Draco.

The rest of the day passed in a blur. First day back and my brain was seriously about to explode. After my first three classes I had gone through a rough Potions and boring-as-hell History of Magic lesson. I think the only thing that kept me going was the thought of sleep.

"Divination sucks. Potions suck. History of Magic sucks," Ron complained as we entered the Common Room after dinner.

"Agreed. The best class is defiantly Satanic Rituals," my three friends stopped dead. I dropped my stuff down next to a small empty table. I threw myself down in one of the chairs, looking up at them. "What?"

Ron smiled, "You're bonkers, Cora."

I smiled back. Hermione shook her head, setting her stuff down beside me, "It comes with the sleep deprivation."


	9. Lies and Secrets

**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape: The whole Satanic Ritual thing is a quote from A Very Potter Sequel. I recommend you watch it if you're a big HP fan like me.**

**A/N: Sorry it's been so long guys. I'm graduating from high school tomorrow so I've been uber busy with paperwork and projects. So, as a graduation treat to all the Senior class of 2011, here is the next chapter!**

_**Chapter 9: Lies and Secrets **_

The rest of the week had gone by faster than I anticipated. Already I was waist deep in essays, projects, spells, and smelly potions. The potion part literally. I got paired up with Neville (I like him and all, but I swear Snape was trying to punish me). Somehow, as I was cutting ingredients, he managed to blow up the black tar-like gunk all over me. It was terrible.

Even worse was John Haring. Honestly, that boy didn't know what no meant. Every day since Divination he'd find me and ask me out. He'd always do this when we were in a crowded area (in the Great Hall, in a class, or when I was hanging out with the girls). I'd sweetly decline but he persisted. John was cute and all, but he was…how do these Brits say it? Not my cup of tea?

Once I was running from him when I ran into Oliver Wood. I was too intent on getting away from John to be embarrassed. I was on the floor, looking up at him in shock. Oliver looked down at me then up at John, who was calling out my name. Oliver pulled me up and into the shadows of a small dead-end in the corridor. He pressed his hand to my mouth, putting his finger to his lips.

John stood right in front of us but didn't see where we were. "Coralynn," he called out. "Where'd you go?" His footsteps got farther and farther away.

Oliver looked out. "He's gone," he looked back at me, whispering. "Why were you running from that Ravenclaw?"

"Uh," I stuttered, whispering back. "Well – he was – he's kinda…he's been following me around, asking me out every chance he gets. It annoys the hell outta me."

Oliver chuckled. It was something I've been dying to hear since last year. "You're what…13...and you've already got the boys chasing after you."

"Well when you put it like that…" we laughed. As the laughter died, I felt more awkward. I was in a very compromising position with an older boy. My back was to the wall, Oliver's hand had moved to my wrist to keep me in place. I looked up at him, feeling the redness creep up my neck. Oliver cleared his throat.

"That's an interesting necklace."

I looked down. _Shit…_ My necklace was resting on top on my tie. I forgot to tuck it back in. "Oh, yeah. I got it in Diagon Alley," I lied.

Oliver nodded. I bit my lip, staring at the corridor. "I think we should go. He should be long gone by now."

I just nodded as I slid out of his grip. "Thanks for…uh, saving me," I smiled a little. I got on my toes and kissed his cheek. As I hurried off I made sure to tuck my necklace back into my button-up. That was one Oliver Encounter I was never going to forget…until something better happened. _Oh, I'm bad…_

On Thursday morning, breakfast was halfway over when the Great Hall doors burst open. It was silent for a moment as the entire hall looked up from their food and conversations to see who it was. Everyone went back to what they were doing as Draco Malfoy strutted his was over to the Slytherin table, arm bound in a sling. I rolled my eyes and went back to my eggs and toast. Ron and Hermione went back to bickering as Harry whispered to me.

"He's acting as if he were the heroic survivor of some battle."

That made me chuckle. I glanced behind me to see him surrounded by his fellow Slytherins. They all hung on his every word as he recounted his terrible encounter with Buckbeak. I scoffed, turning back around. "Does it hurt terribly, Draco," Pansy Parkinson fawned over him.

Hermione and Ron stopped their squabbling to listen. I could just see Draco's smirk from behind me. "I consider myself lucky," he told her a little theatrically. "According to Madam Pomfrey, another minute or two…and I could've lost my arm."

"The little git," Ron seethed. "He's really laying it on thick, isn't he?"

Harry gave him a sympathetic smile, "At least Hagrid didn't get sacked."

"Yes," Hermione closed her Charms book. "But I hear Draco's father's furious. I don't think we've heard the end of this…"

"He's been sighted! He's been sighted!"

We turned around, our entire table looking at Seamus. The Irish boy ran down the length of the table to where we were sitting. He was waving a copy of The Daily Prophet like a lunatic. He stopped between me and Harry, slamming the paper down in front of us. Fellow Gryffindors gathered around to see what was going on. The photograph on the front page sent shivers up my back. Sirius Black. Hermione grabbed the paper.

"Dufftown? That's not far from here!"

Neville gulped loudly, "You don't think he'll come to Hogwarts, do you?"

"With Dementors at every entrance," Jo questioned. Lavender and Parvati nodded in agreement.

"Dementors," Seamus scoffed. "He's already slipped by them once, hasn't he? Who's to say he can't do it again?"

I felt the blood rush from my face. _He wouldn't dare…would he?_ Bem stared grimly at the image of Sirius Black. "That's right. Black could be anywhere. It's like trying to catch smoke; like trying to catch smoke with your bare hands."

Everyone went back to their breakfast or left for class. Seamus had gone, leaving the paper in front of me and Harry. We both stared down at it, not moving. Before Harry, I snatched it up and read the article. Apparently a Muggle saw him while she was going for a walk. She though he was an ordinary criminal so she called the hotline. By the time the Ministry got there, he was gone.

"Potter…Potter," Harry and I turned. Draco was leaning over, smirking. "Thinking of trying to catch Black single-handedly, Potter?"

"Yeah, sure," Harry scoffed. Draco's smirk turned into a mean smile.

"Maybe you'd better not risk your neck," he said. "Leave it to the Dementors. But if it were me…I'd want revenge. I'd hunt him down myself."

"Shut up, Malfoy," Ron scowled at the Slytherin.

Harry ignored Ron's comment, "What are you talking about, Malfoy?"

"I'd want revenge –"

Ron cut in, "Don't listen to him, mate. He's trying to make you go and do something stupid."

After breakfast we all got up to go to our first Defense Against the Dark Arts class. I hadn't talked since Seamus had shown us the paper. No one noticed at all. I was afraid that if I opened my mouth I'd spill everything. I didn't want my secret getting out. I didn't want the whole school, much less my own friends, hating me. I walked out with Harry and Ron. Ron was complaining about Draco when turned to ask what Hermione thought, but she wasn't there.

"Where is she," he turned around. "She was just behind Cora…"

Harry and I turned too. We were in corridor just around the corner from our class. I got on my tip-toes, looking for Hermione through the swarm of students. "There she is," Harry took off in the direction of the class.

Hermione looked winded. Her cheeks were slightly pink and her hair was not in a bun, held up by red chopsticks. She was clutching her bag in one hand and tucking something inside her robes with the other. My hand went instantly to the necklace resting on my chest.

"How did you do that," Ron asked her. Our friend looked confused. "One minute you were right behind Cora, and the next you are standing by the classroom."

"What…oh! I just had to ask Professor Lupin something."

While Ron interrogated her some more, I looked at her bag. A major seam had split. I wasn't surprised, I mean, she had dozens of large and heavy books crammed in there. She huffed, "You three know how many subjects I'm taking."

She asked Harry and Ron if they could hold some of her books as she got out her Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook. Harry's arms almost literally fell to the ground as she dropped four of her largest books into his unsuspecting arms.

I took two from him. Harry smiled at me gratefully. As I studied the covers, I frowned. "Hey, wait a sec," I got her attention. "You don't have any of these classes today."

"Yes," she took the books from Ron, packing them all in her bag. "I hope this lesson is good. I've heard marvelous things about Professor Lupin."

She grabbed her books from me and Harry, packing them in with her others. I raised an eyebrow as she marched off into the classroom. Harry and Ron shared a look. "Do you guys have the feeling she's keeping something from us." I asked. Harry and Ron shrugged. I frowned. It wasn't like Hermione to keep secrets from us. Then again, I was keeping at least a dozen from them. I sighed, following the boys into the room just as class started.


	10. Boggart in Narnia

**Noel Ardnek:** You're review made me smile! I'm totally fine with you using 'boy' after a guy's name…I do it too sometimes. Honestly, I had no intention of letting Cora get with John. He was just a character my friend suggested for some comedy input. But now I think I'll consider it. Harry and Ron are in this one so yay!

_**Chapter 10: Boggart in Narnia**_

Remus wasn't there when the class was supposed to start. I sat down next to Seamus and we took out our books, quills, and parchment. When Remus entered the classroom he smiled vaguely. He looked shabbier than I had ever seen him, but healthier than he had on the train. I thought that was from all the wonderful Hogwarts food.

"Welcome class," he greeted us. "Please put away your things. You will only need your wands for today."

I shot a curious look at my godfather turned Professor. Murmurs went all around the class. I don't think anyone in this class had ever had a hands-on Defense Against the Dark Arts class before. The pixie incident with Lockhart last year didn't count. When we all stood up, Remus flicked his wand and the desks disappeared. With another flick, a wardrobe appeared at the front of the room. Remus went to stand by it and the wardrobe suddenly wobbled violently. There was something inside it. Whatever it was wanted out.

"I bet that's not Narnia," I whispered to Justin Finch-Fletchley. He turned to me, grinning like an idiot, getting my joke. Everyone gathered around the wardrobe. I moved away from Seamus to join Harry and Ron. I looked around, frowning. "Where's Hermione?"

Harry looked behind his shoulder. Hermione wasn't there. Ron shrugged, pushing me and Harry to the front. He wanted to get a good look at the wardrobe and what was in it. I sighed. The wardrobe rocked again. Several people looked frightened.

"Intriguing, yes," Remus chuckled. "Would anyone like to venture a guess as to what's inside?" _There's something really fishy about Hermione…_

"That's a Boggart, that is," Dean stated. …_I mean one minute she's here…_

"Very good, Mr. Thomas. Can anyone tell us what a Boggart looks like?" _…the next she's not…_

"No one knows." _What the hell?_ Hermione suddenly appeared next to Ron, making him jump.

"Where'd she come from," Ron whispered to Harry and me. I shrugged. _Defiantly something fishy…_

"Boggarts are shape-shifters. They take the shape of whatever a person fears the most. That's what makes it so –"

"Terrifying, yes," Remus finished last. "Luckily, a very simple charm exists to repel a Boggart. Let's practice it now, shall we? Without wands, please…_Riddikulus_!"

"_Riddikulus_," we all repeated.

Draco, who was behind me, muttered, "This class is ridiculous."

I turned around, ready to snap at him. Hermione grabbed my arm and yanked me back around. Remus didn't notice. "Good, so much for the easy part. You see, the incantation alone isn't enough. What really finishes a Boggart off is laughter. You need to force it to assume a shape you truly find it amusing. Neville, come up here, will you?"

Everyone looked back at him. Neville's eyes were wide as he looked at the rattling wardrobe. He stepped to the front, nervously. He looked as if he was heading to the guillotine. Remus asked him what the thing that scared him the most was.

"Profter…Snafpt…"

"Didn't catch that, Neville, sorry."

Neville looked at all of us. It seemed as if he was begging someone to help him out of his current predicament. He swallowed and said louder, "Professor Snape."

Nearly everyone laughed. I admit, I did chuckle a bit. Remus nodded, "Hmm…yes. Neville, I believe you live with your grandmother?"

"Yes, but I don't want that Boggart turning into her either."

"It won't, but I want you to picture her clothes, only her clothes, very clearly in your mind. Can you do that?"

Neville closed his eyes, remembering, "She carries a red handbag…"

"We don't need to hear it," Remus stopped Neville. "If you see it, we will. Now, when I open this wardrobe, Neville, here's what I want you to do." He leaned close to Neville and whispered something in his ear. Neville's eyes popped open in shock. "Can you do this?" Neville nodded nervously, taking a deep breath. "Right then, wand at the ready. One…two…three!"

The doorknob slowly turned, making the door creek open. A bony hand slithered out, grabbing the edge of the door frame. Then a drab, striped grey sleeve followed; it was tattered and dirty. Long, thick, knotted hair poked out next, falling around an even bonier shoulder. I gasped, looking away. Dark, dead eyes flashed before mine. I knew that if I could see my earrings they'd be pink, the color for fear. Many of my fellow students had their eyes shut. Ron muttered, "Take its legs off." I knew what his biggest fear was. I looked at Harry momentarily when he shivered next to me.

When I looked back at the wardrobe, Snape had appeared, but it wasn't Snape. It was the Boggart. Its eyes flashed wildly as it stalked towards Neville. He backed away in fright. Neville pointed his wand at the Boggart. "_R_ – _R_ – _Riddikulus_!"

There was a loud crack and a flash. The Snape Boggart stumbled back. It was wearing a long, lace-trimmed dress and a towering moth-eaten hat with a vulture on it. A red handbag swung loosely on its arm. Our roars of laughter made it stumble back again. Everyone laughed loudly, imagining the real Snape in Neville's grandmother's clothes. Neville blinked, slowly grinning to himself. The Boggart looked confused as Remus dropped the needle on an old gramophone. As scratchy music you'd hear at a carnival played, he clapped his hands, telling us to make a line.

Everyone pushed each other to get to the front. I got in behind Ron and in front of Harry and Padma Patil, who were trying to push their way behind me. I heard the protests of students getting thrown out of their spots by the Slytherins. Draco and Blaise pushed two Hufflepuffs away, getting in line five people behind me.

When we were all situated, Parvati stepped up. The Boggart rounded on my dorm mate. It swirled, taking the form of many different things as it assessed her biggest fear. Then, where Snape had stood, was a blood-stained, bandaged mummy. It began walking toward her very slowly, dragging its feet, its arms raised stiffly.

"_Riddikulus_!"

A bandage unraveled at the mummy's feet, making it become tangled. It fell face forward, its head rolled off. We all roared with laughter. I laughed more so at the fact that the head rolled away than the tripping part. Seamus was next and the Boggart swirled again. The mummy was changed into a woman with floor length black hair and a skeletal, green-tinged face – a banshee. She opened her mouth and let out an unearthly shriek. I covered my ears to muffle the horrifying sound. Seamus shouted the incantation and she clutched her throat. Her voice was gone.

Next was a Hufflepuff girl. The Boggart spun faster than before. In a blur a vampire appeared. She shouted the incantation and the vampire whipped its cloak across its eyes. When the cloak reopened I laughed harder than I had before. The vampire was dressed like Carmen Miranda, the Brazilian samba singer. It began to shimmy and shake against its will. Remus laughed with us, clapping.

Ron stepped up. The vampire snarled, dissolving back into the whirling mass. Then it mutated into a giant spider. Gasps were heard all throughout the class. I looked back at Harry. The spider reminded me of Aragog and his children when they tried to eat us last year. Ron raised his wand, arm shaking. At first it seemed as though he wouldn't be able to do it. The incantation stumbled out of his mouth. Roller-skates materialized on the spider's hairy feet and it began to shuffle, falling down in place. Ron's tense shoulders relaxed as the class roared with laughter.

"Mr. Thomas," Remus shouted. I did a double take.

"Snooze you lose," my fellow Gryffindor chuckled. I scoffed playfully, trying to grab at his robe. The Boggart turned into a rat, which chased its tail – then a rattlesnake – then a bloody eyeball.

"It's confused," Remus shouted. "We're getting there!"

Suddenly the eyeball turned into a severed hand. Just like the hand in The Addams Family, it flipped over, creeping along the floor like a crab. Dean shouted out the incantation and with a snap, the hand was caught in a mousetrap. The laughs rang out. I stepped forward, Padma Patil next to me. Remus looked at me. There was something is his eyes I couldn't read…

"Miss Patil," he shouted, beckoning the Ravenclaw forward. My mouth fell open. _I was next! Why would he choose her when I was…? _

The hand grew larger, the skin darkening with diamond-thatched scales. Padma whimpered at what she feared the most; a giant cobra. I heard some of the Slytherins snicker, giving the Boggart a bit more confidence. "_Riddikulus_," she shouted. The cobra's hooded head bobbed back and forth, becoming a huge Jack-in-the-Box.

Remus smiled, "Wonderful! Next!"

Harry passed me, stepping up expectantly. I shook my head, walking towards Ron, who was standing off to the side, watching. I noticed concern flicker through Remus' face. The Jack-in-the-Box bobbed back and forth in front of Harry, getting closer to his face with each swing. The class got quiet as the face became more sinister. The music began to fade as the Boggart transformed into a Dementor. The class gasped. Harry raised his wand, then froze, transfixed. The Dementor got closer and closer.

Remus jumped in front of Harry, wand pointing at the Dementor Boggart. The Dementor vanished and a rolling mist appeared, becoming clouds. I cocked my head, squinting at the Boggart. Something glowed within the clouds. Something white, silvery, and round…just like a moon…a full moon.

"_Riddikulus_," the orb popped, deflating into a yellow balloon. It whizzed crazily around the room and Remus guided the Boggart back into the wardrobe, slamming the door shut. As soon as the lock clicked the wardrobe began shaking again. Remus turned back to all of us. "Well done, everyone. I think that's enough excitement for today. Homework, read the chapter on Boggarts and summarize it for me…hand it in next lesson. Class dismissed."

As the students left, chattering loudly, I stayed behind with Harry. At the doorway to his office, Remus glanced at Harry. He left, shutting the door. Harry sighed, turning around, walking out of the class. I glanced at the closed office door one last time before I ran out to catch Harry. When I caught up with him, he was walking with Dean, Seamus, Ron, and Hermione.

"Did you see me take on that banshee," Seamus puffed out his chest.

"And the hand," Dean waved his up in the air.

"And Snape in the hat!"

"Don't you mean Snape in the dress?"

The two went on about the lesson as they split off from us to go to Charms. As we walked a different path to Charms, Ron talked wildly, "That was the best Defense lesson we've ever had!"

"He seems like a good teacher," Hermione commented.

Ron and Harry nodded. I smiled, "The best."

"I just wish I could have had a turn with the Boggart."

"What would it have been for you," Ron snickered. "A piece of homework that only got a nine out of ten."

I stopped in the hall. As my three friends turned to question why I stopped, I started laughing. I laughed harder than I had all day. I had to hold onto the wall to keep myself from falling. That was most defiantly the funniest thing I had heard all day…possibly the funniest I've heard ever.


	11. Hogsmeade

_**Chapter 11: Hogsmeade **_

By October, Defense Against the Dark Arts had become pretty much the entire school's favorite subject. Of course, as always, with the exception of the Slytherins. After Boggarts we studied Red Caps (little goblin-like creatures that liked bloodshed and beating people to death) and then kappas (monkey-like water-dwellers that liked to strangle people who went into their ponds).

I wished my other classes were as cool as Remus'. Charms was alright, I did okay in that class. I could hardly stay awake in Astronomy so I was pretty sure I was failing that. I told Tonks this and, of course, she had to blab to Andi. I got a three page letter on how I should be passing everything and paying attention in school…blah, blah, blah. History of Magic…snoozefest. I loved Transfiguration and sort of became a teacher's pet. I was good at Potions too. That was my best class after all. Snape, however, tried to find something wrong about everything I did. He failed most of the time and took points from Gryffindor because I 'cheated'. Herbology was confusing. Care of Magical Creatures was getting old rather fast. Hagrid was a wonderful instructor but the class just wasn't for me. Divination sucked more than anything. Professor Trelawney kept predicting Harry's death and she always looked at me like I was going to kill her. What a freak.

Besides classes, I had other things to occupy me in October. One thing was the coming Quidditch season. For a whole week I headed down to the Quidditch Pitch to watch Gryffindor try-outs. It was a lost cause to me. I knew that Oliver would pick the same team members as last year: Harry as Seeker, Fred and George as Beaters, and then Katie, Angelina, and Alicia as the Chasers. Those who tried were very good…just not good enough. I hardly saw Oliver after our little encounter. He was always holding meetings, discussing tactics with his team. He spent long nights creating plays and going over tricks. Gryffindor hadn't won the Quidditch Cup in seven years. He was dying to win it. It was his seventh year after all.

At the end of October, Halloween, was the first Hogsmeade trip. I ran out into the clock tower courtyard, bundled up in my Muggle clothes against the cold. There was quite a lot of buzzing. Anyone third year and older stood waiting for the much needed trip. I handed Filch my permission form, receiving a glare from him.

"Remember," McGonagall raised her voice. "These visits to Hogsmeade Village are a privilege. Should your behavior reflect poorly on the school in any way, that privilege shall not be extended again." I joined Ron and Hermione as Harry approached our Head of House. She held up her hand, shaking her head. I saw a flicker of pity in her eye.

Filch walked away from the students and lead them to the carriages. As the courtyard emptied, Ron and Hermione threw Harry a sad look. Harry turned to us, shaking his head. _At least he tried._ Hermione's face fell as Ron lead her away. I looked back at them than ran up to Harry. I pulled my friend into a bear hug.

"I'll bring back something for you," I whispered in his ear. I pulled away from Harry. Ron and Hermione called my name. I leaned in, kissing Harry's cheek. Ron called my name again and I ran off to join them.

Hogsmeade was BEAUTIFUL! Hermione and I gasped as we pulled up in the skeletal horse-drawn carriages. There were little thatched cottages and shops all down the main cobbled street. It had snowed the night before so everything was covered in a thin blanket of white fluff. In the trees were strings of little candles. Ron pulled us out of the carriage as soon as it stopped. Hermione and I laughed as he went on about what shops to go in and what to buy. Hermione told me my earrings were red and I grinned. Of course I was excited! Who wouldn't be?

The first shop we went into, by request of Hermione, was Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop. It was a cozy little place with writing supplies all over. Ron, who was officially bored as soon as we entered the shop, stayed by the door. He looked longingly across the street at Zonko's Joke Shop. It didn't take very long for Hermione to buy her new quills and ink. She got just a standard set while I bought some purple ink to try out. As soon as she and I walked over to Ron, he pulled us out and into the infamous joke shop. It was crowded! Students jam-packed everywhere! I could hardly get through sea of people. I grabbed Hermione's wrist as she kept a firm grip on Ron's shoulder. Looking around, I was mesmerized. The place was multicolored and fantastic. I was sure this was the place where Fred and George got most of their prank items. I think I spent an hour in that store. Most of the time I was looking for Ron and Hermione since we got split up. I was looking at a shelf of Frog Spawn Soap when I heard a familiar voice.

"You know, no one actually buys those."

I turned around, the joke soap still in my hand. Arms full with joke products, was Fred Weasley. I smiled at him warmly. "Are they really filled with frog eggs?"

"Indeed they are. When warm water is poured over the soap, it hatches."

I giggled, putting the soap back, "That _is_ lame!"

"Where's Ron and Hermione?"

"I don't know," I looked around. By now, Fred and I had moved to the counter. He was paying for the products that filled his arms. I wondered where George was. "I lost them…or they lost me."

We managed to push our way out of the shop. Neither George nor Ron or Hermione were in sight. I sighed. Looked like I was going to spend my first Hogsmeade trip alone. I started to walk off when Fred grabbed the back of my Gryffindor scarf. "Hold on, wait a tick. I am not about to let a little third year such as yourself spend her first Hogsmeade trip alone."

I glanced back at my friend's brother. It was so…un-Fred like. I smiled at the ginger in thanks. He held out his arm, motioning for me to take it. I laughed, looping my arm through his. The first place we went was Dervish & Banges. Well…we didn't actually go inside, just looked through the window. It was a shop that sold and repaired magical instruments. Next were the Herbology shop and the music store. I had to drag a protesting Fred into Gladrags Wizardwear. I just had to go in, I mean, its clothes. It was full of unique quirky merchandise. I ended up buying three pairs of socks. One pair was electric blue, another pair I got was hot orange with pink stripes, and the last was an ordinary grey. They all screamed when they got too smelly.

For lunch, Fred took me to The Three Broomsticks. It was warm, crowded, and a bit smoky. Despite these things, the Inn was clean and welcoming. Fred and I walked further inside when we heard the voice of his twin.

"Oi! You two!"

Fred grinned. He rushed us to the booth were George, Lee, Angelina, Alicia, and Katie were seated. They all greeted us and scooted over so we could sit. An order of Butterbeer went around and the five started asking me how I liked Hogsmeade so far. When I mentioned I hadn't been into Honeydukes yet, they all talked at the same time, telling me how awesome it was.

The hours passed and I had yet to step into the sweet shop. Since I still couldn't find Ron and Hermione, the six friends too turns taking me to the shops I hadn't gone in yet. Katie took me into Tomes and Scrolls, a bookshop. I bought a book on magical geography. Why? Because I felt like it. Alicia and Angelina pulled me inside Spintwitches, a sporting goods store. Lee pointed out the other shops as we finally made our way to the one store I was dying to go in. Honeydukes.

As soon as I entered the shop, my nose was attacked by the sweet aroma of chocolate and other mouthwatering sweets. There was candy everywhere! The walls were lined with multicolored boxes and wrappers. Display trays were filled with sweet smelling items and jars were filled to the brim. The girls and Lee split off from me, Fred, and George as the two gave me their personal grand tour. There were Acid Pops, Bat's Blood Soup, and millions of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. Blood-flavored lollypops (yuck), fat Cauldron Cakes, Charm Choc, and hundreds of different kinds of Chocolate. There were crystallized pineapple and packages of Droobles Best Blowing Gum. Toffees and Fizzing Whizzbees and Fudge Flies. Ice Mice and Jelly Slugs. Liquorice Wands, Pepper Imps, Peppermint Toads, and Pink Coconut Ice. Multicolored Pixie Puffs hung from the ceiling. A Salt Water Taffy maker was in full swing in the window, pulling on sticky purple goodness. Everything about Honeydukes was amazing. I never wanted to leave.

We spent another hour in the sweet shop, buying and eating. When it was time to go I was weighed down by my purchases and bags of candy. I had promised Harry I'd get him something so I bought him at least one of everything. Back at the pickup site I was waiting with the twins and Lee when I heard someone call my name. It was Hermione. She was waving to me from across a sea of people. She and Ron were in a carriage already with Neville, Dean, and Seamus. I looked back at the twins.

"Guys, thanks so much for today. I had a great time."

"No problem…"

"…always a pleasure to help the lost."

I giggled at the two. Those sentence things really got me. I hugged and kissed both twins on the cheek before running off to catch the carriage holding my fellow third years. As soon as I jumped in I looked through the window and saw George push Fred a little. He grinned and shoved his brother back. I bit my lip and looked down. I really had fun today.

That night, the Halloween feast was just starting. The Great Hall was adorned with hundreds of candlelit pumpkins and fluttering bats. Orange and black streamers hung from the torches on the walls. The whole Hall was buzzing with tales of Hogsmeade as students swapped stories, eating sweets from Honeydukes and off their House tables. Over at the Ravenclaw table, some seventh years were having fun blowing soap bubbles of all shapes and colors into the air.

The food was delicious; I was bursting with Honeydukes sweets but I still managed to get second helpings of pretty much everything. I couldn't help myself from looking down the Gryffindor table. Fred was talking animatedly with George. I couldn't help but smile. He was so sweet to me and that was very rare of the ginger twin. Usually George was the nicer of the two. My attention was taken away from Fred when a strand of light hit my face. A marionette of a Harlequin (I chuckled to myself when I saw the black-and-red clad figure, Harley Quinn was my favorite Batman villain) cavorted atop the table, moving its limbs in response to Neville's fingertips. Seamus passed his hand through the beam of light and the Harlequin collapsed.

Across from me, Harry was eating the mountain of Honeydukes chocolate Ron, Hermione, and I gave him. Between the four of us was an even higher pile of brightly colored sweets. Harry asked us how our day was and I told him about Dervish and Banges, Zonko's Joke Shop, Gladrags Wizardwear, and the other places I saw.

"And don't forget the post office, Cora! Oh, Harry, it was wonderful! It's about 200 owls, all sitting on color-coded shelves, depending on how fast you want your letter to go!"

"And Honeydukes is brilliant," Ron put in. "They've got everything from Sugar Quills to blood-flavored lollipops for Halloween! And this new fudge that's wicked sweet! And I think we saw an ogre at the Three Broomsticks…"

"The butterbeer was amazing! It really warms you up," I told Harry. He nodded, picking through the bright candy in front of him. "I wish I could have brought some back for you."

"But, I mean, after awhile it got a bit boring. Don't you think, Ron…Cora?"

"What? No way! It was –" Hermione kicked me from under the table. She shot me a look. "Oh, yeah…like after a few hours it wasn't so cool."

"What did you do," Hermione asked Harry, trying to get him to look up. "Did you get any work done?"

"No," he replied, opening a package of Pepper Imps. "Lupin made me some tea in his office and Snape came in…"

"Oh," Ron suddenly cut Harry off. "I almost forgot, I got you something wicked at Dervish and Banges. It's a pocket Sneakoscope." Ron stuck his hand in his pocket and placed a small glass spinning top in front of Harry. "If there's someone untrustworthy around, it's meant to light up and spin. Mind you, Fred and George said its rubbish, sold for wizard tourists, but I thought, you know, it can't…"

"Sirius Black's trying to kill me," Harry nodded again. He looked up at Ron and grinned. "I'm glad you had a good time. Hermione, I'm glad you liked the post office and Cora, I'm sorry you got split up from these two but I'm glad you had a good time anyways."

With that, Harry popped the Pepper Imp in his mouth. My eyes widened, "Harry, careful, those make your…" As if on cue, smoke steamed from Harry's ears like a train. Hermione laughed as Ron grinned like an idiot. "Too late."

The feast finished with entertainment provided by the Hogwarts ghosts. They popped out of the walls and tables, gliding in formations. The Gryffindor ghost, Nearly Headless Nick, reenacted his own failed beheading. It was a hoot. At the end, Dumbledore clapped his hands and the tables cleared of all plates and trash. Our Headmaster sent us all off with well wishes and a goodnight. It had defiantly been a day to remember.


	12. Eyes Like the Devil

_**Chapter 12: Eyes like the Devil**_

That Halloween had been one of the best in my life. My good mood couldn't even be ruined by John Haring. As I walked to the Gryffindor Common Room with my three friends, he approached me. Just as he was about to probably do something stupid, his friend, Felix Nelson, grabbed him, apologizing.

"Hey, hey Coralynn," John shouted across the crowd as he was pulled up a different staircase. "If you were a Dementor, I'd become a criminal just to get your kiss!"

People stopped and stared. My face went red and I suddenly found the floor interesting. I let out an embarrassed laugh and hurried up the stairs. Hermione and the boys quickly followed. She put her hand on my shoulder, telling me not to listen to his lame pick-up lines. Apparently, before he began following me around, he did the same thing to both Jo and Hannah Abbot.

As we followed the rest of the Gryffindors along the path to out tower, there was a crowd gathered on the seventh floor landing. It was jammed with students of all ages. I peered over the heads in front of me. The portrait seemed to be closed.

"Wonder what's going on," Hermione voiced.

"Prolly Neville's forgotten the password again," Ron chuckled. From behind him a voice protested. The four of us turned to see Neville. "Oh! There you are…"

"Let me through, please," Percy pushed us. He marched up the stairs, not caring who was in his way. "Excuse me, thank you, I'm Head Boy..."

Then a silence fell over the crowd. I was still trying to see what was going on. All of a sudden, Percy raised his voice. He told us no one was to enter the Common Room until it had been searched. My breath caught in my throat. I feared the worst. Ginny emerged from the crowd, her face ashen.

"The Fat Lady…she's gone!"

Hermione gasped, grabbing Harry's arm, who grabbed me, and I took hold of Ron. We were dragged closer. My eyes widened when I saw our portrait. The Fat Lady's painting had been viciously slashed in three places. The strips of canvas hung from the frame. Just then, Dumbledore appeared, running his hand over the ruined canvas. Without turning he addressed Filch, "Round up the ghosts. Tell them to search every painting in the castle for the Fat Lady."

"There'll be no need for ghosts, Headmaster…" Filch extended a crooked finger. High up near the Astronomy Tower staircase, was the Fat Lady. I was automatically pushed forward as the students dashed to the landing. I shoved myself ahead with Ron and Harry, the paintings around us whispering fearfully. The Fat Lady was cowering in a painting of an African hippopotamus. Despite the situation, I found it amusing.

"Dear lady, who did this to you," Dumbledore asked her, looking up.

"Eyes like the devil he's got," The Fat Lady whimpered. "And a soul as dark as his name. It was him, Headmaster. He's here, somewhere in the castle. Sirius Black!"

I exhaled sharply. The students around me whispered worryingly. "Secure the castle, Mr. Filch," Dumbledore turned to face us. "The rest of you…to the Great Hall."

Suddenly, The Fat Lady let out her banshee-like screech. Everyone turned, holding their hands to their ears. There was fear in her eyes as she pointed. "There! Those eyes! His eyes, Headmaster! The child has his eyes! The child of the devil!"

As she pointed accusingly at me, everyone stared. I looked around frantically, shaking my head. As I turned, I caught the reproachful glances of my fellow Gryffindors. Ron was frowning and Hermione looked distressed. My gaze reached Fred, he looked angry. I couldn't bear the expression on his face so I looked away. When I faced the portrait again, Dumbledore was in front of me.

"I said, the rest of you to the Great Hall…now," his voice was very calm, yet firm. As the students flooded down the stairs, they stared, eyes burning with hate. I couldn't handle it anymore. Tears streamed freely down my face. My heart felt like it was going to burst in agony.

As I walked down the stairs to the Great Hall, I heard the groaning rotating of the Hogwarts main doors lock. One by one, the torches in the corridors went out. I slipped into the Great Hall just as the Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, and Slytherins arrived. They all looked extremely confused as to what was going on. With one wave of his wand, Dumbledore made the long tables disappear and hundreds of squashy looking green, blue, red, and yellow sleeping bags appear.

Each house was assigned a section of the hall. Professor Dumbledore wished us all a good night. I looked up as he passed me, his blue eyes showed a hint of sadness in them. My fellow Gryffindors immediately began telling the rest of the school what happened. Instead of listening to the crap they were saying about me, I grabbed a red sleeping bag and dragged in into a corner. No one saw me.

I slipped into the rather comfy sleeping bag and curled into a ball. My life was officially over. No one would talk to me after this. Not my teachers or my acquaintances…not even my best friends. _Oh, god…Harry's gonna hate me._ Just as I thought about Harry, he, Ron, and Hermione dragged their bags close to mine. Close…but not too close.

"Do you really think Black's still in the castle," Hermione whispered to the boys. Ron whispered back. All I caught was Dumbledore's name. "It's very lucky he picked tonight, you know. The one night we weren't in the tower…"

I tuned out of their conversation. All around me, people were asking each other the same question: _"How did he get in the castle?"_ Someone questioned if he knew how to Apparate and another mused that he disguised himself. Another even suggested that he flew in. I snorted softly. But then, a voice I knew all too well sneered loudly for all to hear.

"I bet it was Maguire. Everyone knows who her father is now. I bet anything she's the one who let Black in," Malfoy said. I curled my body into a tighter ball. That was most defiantly not true! I would never let anybody hurt my friends…especially Harry.

I felt eyes on me. When I looked up, I saw Harry staring at me, his expression cold and aloof. I looked back down, tears threatening to spill over. Then the candles went out all at once. The only light came from the half moon and bright stars on the enchanted ceiling. Hours later, while everyone had drifted off to sleep, I was wide awake. I rolled over on my back, hands behind my head, staring up at the stars on the ceiling. I pointed out Orion's belt, the seven sisters, Cetus, and Sirius to myself. A gentle creak came from the doors and my eyes shifted. Snape passed through, heading to Dumbledore. The two walked in silence towards my corner.

Then, "No sign of Black in the dungeons, Headmaster. Nor anywhere else in the castle."

Dumbledore nodded, "I didn't expect him to linger."

The two continued walking towards my corner until they were right above me. I had shut my eyes tight, pretending to be asleep. They didn't notice. "Remarkable feat, don't you think? To enter Hogwarts castle on one's own, completely undetected…" Dumbledore was silent. "You may recall, prior to the start of term, I did express my concerns about the girl and Professor –"

"I do not believe a single Professor inside this castle would have helped Sirius Black enter it, Severus. As for Miss Maguire," I felt Dumbledore's piercing blue eyes on my back. "It is common knowledge among the staff that she was not aware of her lineage, is it not Severus? I do not believe she would help a man whom she has never met into this castle. I feel quite confident the castle is safe. And I'm more than willing to let the students return to their Houses. But tomorrow, for now, let them sleep."

I shut my eyes tightly as the two walked passed me, "How could she not know, Headmaster," Snape almost sneered. "She's the splitting image of Black."

Dumbledore ignored his comment, "It's astonishing what the body can endure when the mind allows itself to rest."

As their footsteps faded, I sighed deeply. I was more than happy that Dumbledore believed I didn't help Sirius Black into the castle. Too bad the rest of the school wouldn't think that. Snape was right. I did look too much like my father; striking grey eyes, curly black hair, and prominent features. I rolled over to my right and saw Harry looking right at me. I froze. We stared at each other for what seemed like ages. Then, to my dismay, he closed his eyes and turned over to face Ron and Hermione. I too faced the other way, silently crying myself to sleep.


	13. Defense

**Dolphingirl217:**** You are the first person who got that. Yay! It was an easy one, changing Joe to Jo. He's my favorite Starkid. I love him as Umbridge. All throughout my HP stories are little homages to AVPM and AVPS. I use lines from the songs and quotes when I see fit. BTW, glad you like my story.**

**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape:**** I don't think that'll happen. Too depressing…sorry.**

**Noel Ardnek:**** I'm sorry for making you feel depressed. But trust me it gets a bit better in like two chapters. I couldn't go having my best OC be sad forever.**

**WARNING! This Chapter Contains A Bit Of Foul-Mouth Language. You Have Been Warned…**

_**Chapter 13: Defense**_

For the next few days, all the school talked about was Sirius Black…and me. The theories about how he entered the castle became wilder and wilder. Hannah Abbott yapped in Herbology to anyone who'd listen how Sirius Black could turn into a flowering shrub. It was a load of bullshit. Once, as she was telling a few Slytherins about Black, I snapped at her. Later that day, I found myself shoved down to the cold stone floor on my way to class. The Slytherin girls cackling as they hurried off.

The Fat Lady's portrait had also been taken down and replaced by Sir Cadogan. The stupid Knight (if that's what you call him) spent half his time challenging passersby to duels and thinking up ridiculously hard passwords (which, I might add, he changed at least three times a day)! One day, I was on my way to the Common Room for my free period when I saw a group of my fellow third years crowded around the portrait of Sir Cadogan.

"What villains are these that trespass upon my private lands," Sir Cadogan galloped up on his fat grey pony. He brandished his sword wildly. I rolled my eyes, leaning against the railing leading to the changing staircase. "Who dares challenge Sir Cadogan! Back, you scurvy braggarts! You rogues!"

"He's barking mad," said Seamus angrily.

"What d'you expect," Dean asked him. "After what happened to the Fat lady, none of the other pictures would take the job."

"But he keeps changing the password," Neville complained, taking out a slip of parchment. He looked down at it. "Twice just this morning! I've taken to keeping a list."

I saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione move away from the group. They were heading towards me. Sir Cadogan gave the three a small bow, "Farewell, comrades! If ever you have need of noble heart and steely sinew, call upon Sir Cadogan!"

Ron turned, "Yeah, we'll call you…if we ever need someone mental." The three began walking again. Harry stopped when he saw me. His green eyes held some sort of wariness. Without saying anything, Ron pulled Harry down the stairs. Hermione stopped in front of me, mouth slightly open like she was going to say something. Ron's voice stopped her, "Hermione, come on!" She looked at me sadly then hurried off to the two boys.

Life couldn't get any worse. The students were wary of me, my Professors were cautious around me, my roommates disregarded me, but worst of all, my three best friends weren't talking to me. At the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall I sat at the very end closer to the door because no one wanted to sit by me. In class I was always alone and in the back. Even Neville, whom I always helped in Potions, acquired a new partner. Still, I found without any distractions that my grades went up in all my classes. I wanted nothing more than to talk to Remus about all this, but every time I saw him he looked ill. I received a few letters from Tonks, Ted, and Andi saying that they'd be more than willing to transfer me to Beauxbatons if things got worse. I declined.

The day before the big Quidditch match, the winds reached howling point and rain fell harder than ever. It was so dark in the corridors and classrooms that extra torches and lanterns were lit. Everywhere I went, the Slytherin team and house members looked smug. They wouldn't have to play in this horrible weather; Hufflepuff and Gryffindor would.

Also that morning, we had a surprise waiting for us in Defense Against the Dark Arts. As we entered the classroom there was no teacher. Remus was nowhere to be found. I took my new seat in the back when the doors burst open. Snape walked briskly down the rows of desks, shutting the curtains over the windows. With another flick of his wrist a screen fell down over the blackboard.

He turned to us, "Turn to page 394." I sighed, opening my book. The other students eyed Snape with guarded curiosity. The question of where Remus was did cross my mind, but I ignored it.

The doors burst open once again and Harry dashed inside, "Sorry I'm late, Professor Lupin, I –"

"This lesson has already started, Potter, so I think we'll make it ten points from Gryffindor. Sit down."

Harry didn't sit, "Where's Professor Lupin?"

"He's feeling too ill to teach today," Snape's mouth formed into a twisted smile. "Sit down."

Harry stayed where he was, "What's wrong with him?"

I turned to Harry, whispering harshly, "Sit down, you idiot, before you lose us more points."

Snape smirked, "That's not really your concern but it's nothing life-threatening…five more points from Gryffindor. And if I have to ask you to sit one more time it'll be fifty."

Harry looked around; the only seat open was the seat next to me. He sat down, taking out his book. He didn't look at me, I didn't look at him. It was hard and I felt a pain in my heart knowing that one of my best friends was next to me and not speaking to me. I continued flipping through the textbook until I reached a chapter we hadn't covered yet.

"Werewolves," Ron stated with surprise.

Snape tapped on a projector and a slideshow began. An ancient woodcut of one of the best known horrific beasts flickered at the front of the room. I frowned down at my book.

"But sir, we've only just begun learning about Red Caps and Hinkypunks. We're not meant to start nocturnal beasts for some weeks…"

"Quiet," Snape snapped at Hermione, who appeared next to Ron. I frowned again. I hadn't seen her there at the start of class…Harry looked at me for the first time with a questioning glance. I shrugged at him. "Now, which of you can tell me the difference between an Animagus and a werewolf?"

The class stared mutely at a slide of and attacking werewolf. It was brutal. Hermione raised her hand in seconds. No one responded. Snape's twisted smile came back. "We told you," Parvati spoke up, "we haven't got as far as werewolves yet…"

"Silence," Snape snarled.

"Please, sir," I began, all eyes on me, "an Animagus is a wizard who turns into an animal by choice. A werewolf has no choice. The werewolf hunts humans and responds to the call of its own kind –"

At my last statement, Draco let out a loud howl. Snape narrowed his eyes. "Spoken out of turn, Miss Maguire. Five points from Gryffindor!"

I began seeing red. I could just see my earrings turning black in my anger. The entire class (except the Slytherins) glared at Snape. Ron spoke up, "You asked us a question and she answered."

"Five more points! As an antidote to your ignorance, I prescribe two rolls of parchment on the werewolf by Monday morning, with a particular emphasis on recognizing it. Now…" Snape began the actual lesson. I was not paying attention; I was reading a passage from the book.

_Lycanthropy is a magical illness known to be spread by saliva-blood contact; thus, a human bitten by a werewolf in wolf form will become a werewolf him or herself. However, if a human is bitten by a werewolf in human form, the victim will only acquire some lupine tendencies. It seems that werewolves, when in their animal state, pose the danger of biting the nearest human being. On every full moon, a werewolf will go through an incredibly painful transformation from a human into a wolf-like creature. They lose the ability to think in a human way, becoming highly aggressive towards humans- even those to whom they are close. Though werewolves usually only infect their victims through biting, they sometimes take it too far and attack their victims. Without any humans nearby to attack, or other animals to occupy it, the werewolf will attack itself out of frustration. This leaves many werewolves such as with self-inflicted scars and premature aging from the difficult transformations. Unfortunately, there is currently no cure for lycanthropy. However, some of the worst effects can be mitigated by consuming __Wolfsbane Potion__, which allows a werewolf to retain his or her human mind while transformed, thus freeing him or her from the worry of harming other humans or themselves. Because werewolves only pose a danger to humans, companionship with animals whilst transformed has been known to make the experience more bearable as the werewolf has no-one to harm and will be less willing to harm him/herself. Contrary to what Muggles believe, werewolves are not affected by silver._

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something land in front of Harry. I looked over as he unfolded it from its moth-like state. Inside was a crude drawing of Harry in his Quidditch robes. First a Bludger hit him in the head, then he was struck by lightning while Draco pointed and laughed in the background. This repeated itself over and over. Harry looked up to see if Snape had noticed. He didn't, he was too focused on teaching the werewolf lesson. I glanced at Draco along with Harry, his eyes narrowed as he sniggered with Crabbe and Goyle.

As soon as the lesson was over, I bolted from the class. I was halfway down the corridor when I heard my last name over the loud voices of the other students. It was Pansy Parkinson. I shook my head and hurried out of the hall. I entered the courtyard, happy it had stopped raining. I walked on as I looked down at my bag, shoving my Defense textbook in there. Then I hit someone, making me stumble back a foot or so. It was Draco. _Crap…_

When I looked back, his Slytherins pals were walking around me at every angle. I cursed myself. Draco smirked at me, "Well, well, well, boys, look what we've got here."

I rolled my eyes, readjusting my bag. I walked right up to Draco and as I tried to move he'd move the same way as me. "Let me through," I said through my clenched teeth. I was so not in the mood for whatever it was he had planned.

He stepped aside, hands out, "As you wish…Maguire. Oh, but that's not your name is it? What was it again, boys?" Draco's 'friends' laughed. They came closer as I walked away. It began to sprinkle. "Oh, that's right…Black."

"Keep walking, Cora," I whispered to myself.

"How's it feel to have the most wanted man in the world as a father? Oh, that's right, you don't know. Do I sense some daddy issues there," Pansy Parkinson laughed. _Keep walking…_ She began taunting me. "You daddy's a murderer. He killed all those Muggles." _Don't listen... _"He killed his friends." _Go faster… _There was a booming thunder as the rain poured down. Students from all around scurried back into the castle. "I bet he killed your mother too…"

Something snapped inside me. I turned around, "SHUT UP! DON'T YOU EVER SAY THAT! EVER! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING! DON'T YOU EVER TALK ABOUT MY PARENTS LIKE THAT, YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE! GET A FUCKING LIFE AND STOP TRYING TO RUIN MINE!"

I pulled my arm back and decked the bitch in the nose. She screamed bloody murder. The Slytherins stared with wide eyes and Draco looked like he had pissed his pants. Pansy pulled her hands away from her nose. Blood was pouring down from her nostrils, the rain made it worse as it dripped down her front.

"YOU FUCKING BITCH," she screamed at me. Just then, to both my delight and horror, Professor McGonagall and Remus came running out. They had witnessed the whole thing.

"Miss Maguire, what on earth has gotten into you," McGonagall questioned me incredulously. I was breathing hard, still seeing red. "All of you, back to your dormitory. Miss Parkinson, come with me. Professor Lupin, if you please."

The Slytherins stalked off, whispering mean things about me. McGonagall led the whimpering pug back into the castle and surely to the Hospital Wing. Remus picked up my fallen bag and led me (more like dragged me) inside. He hurried us into the Defense classroom and up to his office. When we got inside, he dropped my bag down and flicked his wand at the fireplace. Instantly the roaring warmth licked my body. It was then I realized how cold and wet I was. I was soaked down to the bone; every inch of my body was wet. Remus flicked his wand again and I was instantly dry. My godfather motioned for me to sit on the couch behind me and I did, grateful for the blanket that was draped over it.

"Cora, words cannot describe how disappointed I am in you," he began. I noticed he was paler than normal. The three scars on his face gave him and older, gaunter look. I felt that if I touched him he'd fall to the ground, broken.

"I don't regret it," I muttered, turning to the fire.

Remus sighed, "He had that fire in him too, you know. Your father, Sirius, had a short temper; ran in the family I gather. But what you just did was –"

"I don't care what it was. I was defending my family. I don't care how broken it is. I don't care that my mother's dead or my father's some mass murderer. They're my parents, Remus, and no one can –"

"Now you sound like your mother," Remus ran his hand over his face. "She had a strong disposition. She was a big family person, always defending them even in the worst situations. Olivia was there for me at a time when only one other was. The three of us used to talk for hours. She was a passionate woman who saw beauty in everyone, even when the person couldn't see it themselves."

"That does sound a little like me…"

"Yes, yes it does. But with all that passion and determination, came a troublesome side. Your mother loved jokes and playing a good prank every now and then. It's how she fell in love with your father. He was a troublemaker all throughout our school years. Though, towards the end of our seventh year, he seemed to grow up a bit. Sirius was smitten with Olivia but he could never 'get the girl' so to speak. It wasn't until after school when they fell in love."

"I've always wanted to know her. I've had dreams of meeting mom, you know," I looked up at Remus, tears threatening to fall. "We'd actually be here at Hogwarts, sitting under the oak tree by the lake. I'd tell her everything, talk to her for hours…but she'd never say a word. She didn't have too. She'd just hold me and stroke my hair. I remember that from when I was a baby. It's a wonderful dream because I get to spend time with her. Sometimes I don't want to wake up…I want it to be real and not a dream. Sometimes I don't even think she was real."

"Your mother was very much real, Cora. She loved you so much. More than you could possibly know. I believe that these dreams of yours are a gift. Remember her the way you see her. That's what she'd want."

I stayed in Remus' office for over an hour just talking and catching up. When he decided it was time for me to go he reminded me one thing…I had two weeks detention. I begged for him to lower my sentence but he'd have none of it. I left his office and the Defense class feeling slightly better than I did before.


	14. The Deadliest Quidditch Match

**Noel Ardnek:**** I actually surprised myself by writing the last chapter. I knew I wanted her to show the Black anger because she is a Black…I just didn't know how to do it. But I know there will be more. Harry is a hypocrite isn't he. He was never my favorite character in the **_**Harry Potter**_** series lol.**

_**Chapter 14: The Deadliest Quidditch Match**_

I woke up the next morning extremely early. It was dark outside, more so from the heavy rain clouds than from the time. I rolled over, fumbling with the opening of my bed curtain. I looked at the clock on my bedside table; half past four. The Quidditch match was starting at nine o'clock. I sat up, yawning and stretching my back. When I looked out my window I could hardly see the lake. The rain poured down in black sheets, thunder rumbled loudly overhead, the castle walls echoed with the pounding of the wind. In a few hours, Harry and the rest of the team would be battling through that gale. Finally I stood up, grabbed my clothes for the game and headed into the bathroom to change.

Looking in the mirror, I didn't like what I saw. My hair had lost its shine and had gone limp; no more curly-q's. My grey eyes didn't sparkle with mischief like they used too, they seemed deader since Harry, Ron, and Hermione stopped talking to me. I had lost a lot of weight (mostly baby fat) in my face and tummy from hardly eating. It seemed to me I was becoming the ghost of the person I once was.

An hour or so later I was clean, minty fresh, and ready to get soaked in the rain. In the common room, the noise of the storm seemed much louder. I just knew the match wouldn't be cancelled; Quidditch went on rain or shine at Hogwarts. I stepped off the last step of the circular staircase when I noticed someone sitting in front of the fire. It was Harry. I debated going back up but I didn't want to disturb my sleeping roommates. I cautiously walked over to the loveseat he was sitting on and took the opposite seat. Things were quiet for a while.

"Hi," I finally got the courage to say.

Harry looked at me, "Hi."

"So…how are things?"

"Things are…good, I guess. You?"

"You know, this and that. Trying to avoid Slytherins and haters is all," it was awkward. _This shouldn't be happening. Things shouldn't be this weird between us._ "It's not my fault, you know."

As I stared into the fire, Harry looked at me. When I looked at him I saw the sadness in his eyes. "I know. I spent a lot of time trying to be mad at you, but I can't be. It's not like you knew this was going to happen."

"Honestly, I didn't even know he was my father. I can't really remember my parents."

"Neither can I. Aunts and Uncles aren't the same. Cousins aren't either."

I smiled, "No, they're not."

Harry and I talked away the hours away in front of the fire until dawn. We remained seated there even as our fellow Gryffindors left for breakfast. It was around seven when Ron and Hermione came down. When they saw Harry and I talking they stopped. I got up to leave but Harry took my hand, getting up too. He pulled me into a hug which I gladly returned. I smiled as tears filled my eyes. When we parted, Hermione came up and hugged me tighter.

"Let's never not be friends again," she whispered, tightening her grip.

"Mione," I wheezed. "Can't breathe."

Hermione let go, smiling embarrassed. I squeezed her hand, telling her we were always friends; we just haven't talked in awhile. I took a breath, turning to Ron. He seemed apprehensive at first but he caved in. Our hug was short because it was cut off by his growling stomach. I laughed, saying how much I missed him. So, best friends again, the four of us headed to the portrait hole and down into the Great Hall.

Ron piled everything in his reach on his plate. Both Hermione and I shot him a look of disgust. Hermione grabbed a grapefruit and some milk while I scooped eggs, bacon, and hash browns on my plate. Harry was eating a bowl of porridge and some toast by the time the rest of the team showed up.

"It's going to be a tough one," said Oliver as he took the seat across from Harry and next to me.

"Don't worry, Oliver," I said soothingly, "the team doesn't mind a bit of rain. Do they, Harry?"

Harry stared at me like I had three heads. I kicked him in the shin, "Oh, yeah! No, not at all, Wood."

It was way more than a bit of rain. The entire school showed up to watch the match, running for the stands under their umbrellas and windbreakers; heads bowed against the ferocious wind and pouring rain. The wind was so strong that Ron, Hermione, and I staggered sideways as we walked up the stairs to find seats. The wooden stadium creaked and groaned in protest of the heavy wind and rain. As we took our seats I looked out over the field…I couldn't even see the other side! _How on earth is Harry gonna catch the Snitch in this?_

There was a roar of cheering (or was it just the wind?) as the Hufflepuff team came out on the pitch. Normally, the players would fly out but Dumbledore didn't want any pre-game injuries. Cedric Diggory walked out into the middle of the stadium as his teammates took their positions on the ground. He was a fifth year, a lot bigger than Harry. Seekers were usually light and speedy but Cedric was burlier. His weight would be an advantage in this game, less likely to blow off course. I had met him a few times before in the halls. He seemed like a nice guy, I really hoped he wouldn't get beat up too badly today.

I cheered my heart out as the scarlet Gryffindors headed out. I thanked Godric Gryffindor for choosing a color that would stand out in this mess. Oliver met Cedric in the middle and the two shook hands. Lightning struck one of the golden hoops as the sky boomed with icy blue light. Rain lashed at our umbrellas, making Neville let go of his. It flew away instantly, soaring into the sky. Down below, Madam Hooch threw up the Quaffle and the players shot up into the air. I watched, shouting in glee as Harry rose up on his Nimbus 2000, swerving away from the two Bludgers which rocketed up in the air.

Hermione and I shouted for our team, our voices getting drowned out by wind and rain. Players blurred passed us, not able to fully see where they were going. A Bludger whizzed by Katie Bell, shattering the broom of a Hufflepuff beater. He cried out, going down in a spiral and vanishing in the mist. Not too long after, a stitch of lightning struck the tail of Angelina Johnson's broom. As it burst into flames she plummeted to the pitch. I looked down at my hands; they were numb from clutching the railing and from the coldness. In the highly charged air the hairs on my wrists were standing up.

In the sky, Harry flew fearlessly, searching for the Snitch. The Chasers flitted in and out of view. Another umbrella flew from the hands of its owner, making Harry stop to watch it. He ducked as it hurtled towards him then he instantly took off, closing in fast on the tiny, glittering ball. Another clap of thunder boomed through the stadium. The game was getting more and more dangerous. Someone had to catch the Snitch quickly. Not long after I thought this, Cedric took off after Harry, both climbing high into the clouds. Soon, I lost sight of them all together.

The crowd rose to their feet, watching the players' race around the pitch and looking out for the two Seekers. Ron grinned over his binoculars, watching his brothers' beat the Bludgers through the thick mist. Just when I though the game couldn't get any more thrilling, Cedric appeared out of nowhere, the Snitch in hand. The Hufflepuffs and those cheering for them went wild.

Then I saw him. "NO," I screamed as loud as I could.

Harry and his broom tumbled out of the clouds and down to the ground at a deadly pace. The Nimbus, tossed by the wind currents, swerved away from Harry, right into the Whomping Willow. Screams and gasps echoed my own as Harry dropped through one cloud and another. An explosion more powerful than thunder rocked the air. A flash more fierce than lightning shocked the sky.

Harry floated to the ground as if he was a feather. Madam Hooch blew her whistle, "Diggory has caught the Snitch, Hufflepuff wins!"

No one cared. Everyone was too preoccupied with how Harry was. The Gryffindor team landed and rushed to their fallen (ha ha pun) teammate. The Hufflepuff team also landed, but kept a good distance away from the others. Hermione turned to me and Ron, pushing us to the stairs. The three of us ran all the way down to the ground where Harry was being rushed to the Hospital Wing. We shared a worried glance with the Quidditch team and the eight of us took off.

"That was the scariest thing I've ever seen in my life," Hermione said, her voice shaking. We all crowed around Harry's bed in the Hospital Wing, waiting for him to wake up. The team, spattered with mud from head to toe, gathered around the foot of the bed. Ron stood to Harry's left and Hermione and I on the right. We all looked like we had just gotten out of a swimming pool. Madam Pomfrey gave Harry a Pepper-Up Potion and something else to ease the pain and make him wake up sooner.

"That was the deadliest Quidditch match I've ever seen in my life," I muttered under my breath.

"Looks a bit peaky, doesn't he?"

"Well what d'you expect, Ron. He fell fifty feet," Fred scolded his little brother.

"Yeah, c'mon, Ron. We'll walk you off the Astronomy Tower and see how you come out looking," George added.

"Probably a right sight better than normal," Harry uttered, opening his eyes.

"Harry," Hermione breathed. "How're you feeling?"

"We thought you'd died," said Alicia Spinnet, who was shaking. Hermione made a small squeaking noise, her eyes bloodshot.

Harry edged up against his pillow. He looked to his left where a Hufflepuff player was having the spokes of an umbrella removed from his neck. It looked very painful. "Brilliant."

"Gave us a right good scare, mate," Fred told Harry.

"What happened?"

We all looked at each other. "You fell off your broom," Ron finally told him.

"Really," Harry sat up more. He was frantic. "I meant the match? Who won? Where's Wood?"

"Diggory got the Snitch just after you fell," said George. "After he saw what happened he tried to call it off. Wanted a rematch but won fair and square…even Wood admits it."

Harry was about to ask where Oliver was again but Fred cut him off, "He's still in the showers. We think he's trying to drown himself."

Harry put his face to his knees, his hands gripped his hair. I placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Hermione shared a sad look with the others, "No one blames you, Harry. The Dementors aren't meant to come on the grounds. Dumbledore was furious. After he saved you, he sent them straight off."

"There's something else you should know, Harry," Ron started slowly. From behind him Katie held out the bag with Harry's Nimbus 2000 in it. "Your Nimbus – when it blew away…it sort of landed in the Whomping Willow. And well…"

Ron slowly turned the bag upside down. A dozen or so bits of splintered wood and twigs fell onto the bed at Harry's feet. They were the only remains of his faithful, finally beaten broomstick. I knew it was a hard sight for Harry. He had that broom since his first year. Madam Pomfrey came over and told us to leave Harry in peace. As we left him Harry stared out the window, his heart, like his Nimbus, broken.


	15. The Marauder's Map

**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape:**** I'd be depressed too if my friends all ignored me. At least they're all good now.**

**Noel Ardnek:**** You are absolutely right! I was thinking I needed to add something but I didn't know what. You have officially cured my HP writer's block haha. This will be the last for a bit because I need to get crackin'! Thanks for your input.**

_**Chapter 15: The Marauder's Map**_

To everyone's delight there was to be another Hogsmeade trip on the very last weekend of the term. Hermione was so excited to do her Christmas shopping. She said something about getting Toothflossing Stringmints from Honeydukes for her parents. Apparently they were Muggle dentists and would be fascinated by candy dental floss.

When the day of the Hogsmeade trip came I decided to stay back with Harry. I felt bad that he'd be the only third year staying in the castle and I thought he could use the company. No matter how much he protested, I stood strong by my choice. Hermione and Ron even tried to get me to go with them but I said no. There would be other Hogsmeade trips and Harry really needed someone. So that's how I found myself watching the students leave the school up from the clock tower window. That's also how I found myself trying to sneak out of the castle with Harry under his invisibility cloak.

"This is really stupid, you know that right? Someone will see our footprints."

Harry shushed me as we hurried off into the snow to join the last of the students leaving for Hogsmeade. A little ways ahead of us, Fred and George were making a snowman. I cursed under my breath as George looked up, grinning wildly. The two lunged, George grabbing Harry and Fred grabbed me.

"Clever, kids," Fred mused.

"But not clever enough," George followed up.

"Besides, we've got a better way…"

A few moments later, the twins had dragged us inside one of the corridors. George lightly pushed Harry to sit on a secluded staircase. The invisibility cloak fell off, revealing a very cross Harry. Fred's hand lingered on my arm before I shrugged it off. Then he slapped a worn looking roll of parchment into Harry's hands. When he unfurled it, we both frowned. It was blank.

"What is this rubbish," Harry asked, still mad.

"Rubbish he says," Fred laughed. "That there's the secret to our success."

"It's a wretch giving it to you, believe me," George said. "Think of it as an early Christmas present."

"But we've decided your need's greater than ours. George, if you will…"

George whipped out his wand, touched it to the paper and said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

As soon as he said this, intricate red ink lines surfaced the fiber of the paper, spreading like veins. They joined together, crisscrossing, fanning over every inch of the paper. Words blossomed across the top in curly letters.

"Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers are proud to present The Marauder's Map…" I read.

George smiled, "We owe then so much."

"Hang on," Harry's eyes widened. "This is Hogwarts! And that…no…is that really…?"

"Dumbledore," Fred finished.

"In his study," George nodded.

"Pacing."

"Does that a lot."

The map showed every detail of the Hogwarts castle and grounds. The most amazing thing were the tiny ink boxes moving around, each labeled with a name. Harry and I bent over the map, sure enough, Dumbledore was in his study, pacing.

"You mean," Harry looked at the twins, "this map shows…"

"Everyone."

"Everyone," I asked in disbelief. I didn't know if I had heard Fred right.

"Everyone," George nodded.

"Where they are."

"What they're doing."

"Every minute."

"Of every day."

"Brilliant," Harry exclaimed, grinning ear to ear. "Where'd you get it?"

Fred smiled at my friend, "Nicked it from Filch's office, of course. First year. Now listen. There's seven ways out of the castle. But we'd recommend…"

"…this one," the twins said together. _God I love it when they do that._

"The One-Eyed Witch on the third floor," George told us.

"But you two best hurry. Filch is headed this way. Oh, and when you're done, make sure to give it a tap and say, 'Mischief managed'," Fred tapped the map and everything disappeared. "Otherwise anyone can read it."

Harry stared down at the map, completely baffled by its awesomeness. George turned to leave, grabbing Fred to follow. When I looked up at the slightly better looking, he winked at me. It didn't shock me as much as it did before. A few weeks after the Quidditch match, I had been seeing more of the twins (more so Fred than George). They shook off the rumors about me and were the few people (besides my three besties and the Quidditch team) who'd stick up for me. Fred was being kinda weird around me. I don't know what it was but it was a good weird and I liked it.

Harry pulled me from my thoughts on the redhead when he took my hand and raced to the One-Eyed Witch statue. It was next to the Divination stairwell so no one was around. Just to be sure, Harry took out the map and tapped it, saying the incantation. He traced his finger along the passage we took right to where we were standing. We gave each other a look of disbelief as our names appeared right where the statue was. A little speech bubble appeared in front of Harry's name.

"_Dissendium_?"

The witch's eyes opened with a click. It pivoted, revealing a dark opening in the floor. Harry glanced down the corridor as I checked the map. When we were sure no one was coming, he tapped the map again, placing it in his winter coat pocket. We both crouched down; a cool draft of winter air ruffled our hair. I shrugged, hoisting myself down into the hole. I dropped a little ways before reaching the floor. I stood up, looking around.

"_Lumos Maxima_," I muttered. The light lit up the very narrow, earthy passage way. I looked up. "C'mon down Harry. But be careful. It's a bit of a drop."

When Harry joined me in the small passageway he instantly lit his wand. My heart was beating fast from all the excitement as we set off. The passage twisted and turned like the burrow of a rabbit. I smirked, muttering, "I followed the White Rabbit down the rabbit hole. All of a sudden, I fell. Down, down, down…"

"What," Harry turned to me, nearly stumbling on the uneven floor.

I shook my head, "You've never been to Disneyland before. Don't worry about it."

Harry rolled his eyes and chuckled. After what felt like an hour, the passage began to rise. We shared an eager look, speeding up. Ten minutes later we came to the foot of some worn steps. Careful not to make any noise, we began to climb. I let Harry go in front of me because he had the cloak. As we climbed up I lost count of how many steps there were. Then, without warning, I hit Harry's back. He groaned, rubbing his head. When I looked up I saw what seemed to be a trapdoor.

Very carefully, Harry pushed back the door. He pulled himself up, placing the cloak next to him. He reached down, taking my outstretched hand. When Harry pulled me up I noticed we were in a cellar. There were wooden crates and boxes and jars of sweets all around. We had finally made it into Honeydukes.


	16. How to Deal with Ferrets

**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape:**** I'm not telling if it is Fred or not...not yet anyway.**

**Noel Ardnek:**** Here's the new one like I promised. It's probably not as good as the original but I tried. I think Fred would show his feelings because he is said to be the more outgoing one. Oh and because of you…I just remembered Neville. Isn't that sad? Well now that I lost all my chapters I can go back and fix it lol.**

_**Chapter 16: How to Deal with Ferrets**_

Quickly and silently Harry threw the cloak back over us. We made our way up the stairs, careful not to make a sound. I pushed the cellar door open with ease. The shopkeeper behind the counter was too busy taking down glass jars of colorful candies to know. Honeydukes was just as crowded as it was Halloween. It was so crowded, in fact, that no one looked twice at me when I slipped out from under the invisibility cloak.

I kept my hand slightly behind me, clutching the cloak. I swerved passed a group of Ravenclaws, Harry almost getting too close. My eyes widened a little when I saw Neville, Seamus, and Dean up ahead. They were sitting by the bay window, eating their sweets. Just as I opened the door, Neville's lollypop was snatched out of his hand. Then it simply floated out the door, following me.

Out on Main Street, the mini blizzard raged on. In the midst of all the fog-shrouded, misty chaos, Hogsmeade looked like a Christmas card. The little thatched shops were all covered in a layer of fresh snow; there were holly wreaths on doors and in windows. My favorite part was the strings of golden candles hanging in the trees. I stood on the sidewalk, taking in the beauty, when Harry came up next to me. He had his jacket hood up and the cloak folded on his arm.

"Welcome to Hogsmeade, Harry," I smiled.

"It's brilliant," he smiled. "Let's find Ron and Hermione."

I thought for a moment, "They might be by the Shrieking Shack. Ron told me they didn't have time when we were here on Halloween."

Harry nodded. I took his hand and led him to the edge of town. There, a trail went off into the woods which eventually led to a clearing where the Shrieking Shack was. As we walked down the path the mist hung thick. The Shrieking Shack stood beyond the trees, a silhouette in the gloom. As we neared I could see 5 figures standing by the gate. In a rather harsh tone, one voice stood out the most.

"Hope you don't mean yourself," Hermione stepped threateningly towards the three boys in front of her and Ron. From behind it was clear who they were; Draco, Crabbe, and Pike.

I could just see the disgust in Draco's eyes. That's when I had a brilliant idea. I bend down and scooped up a large pile of snow, forming it into a ball. Harry got the idea and helped me make three more. "Let's show these losers how we deal with ferrets in Gryffindor house."

"How dare you speak to me, you filthy little mud –" I threw the first snowball at Draco with all my might. _SPLAT!_ The Slytherin boy stumbled forward before spinning around. Harry disappeared. "Who did that!" As Draco squinted in my direction I threw another snowball and another at him. He fell down, looking around with wild eyes. His cronies just stood there, dumbfounded. "Well, don't just stand there!"

Crabbe started for Ron as Pike went to grab Hermione. All of a sudden, Pike's beanie was pulled down over his face. Magically, Crabbe's pants were pulled down, revealing white boxers with red hearts all over. I bit my fist to keep from laughing. As he bend down to pick his pants up, he was flung forward. I gathered he was kicked in the ass. Draco eyed the mist fearfully. Hermione laughed as Ron just stood there, mouth agape.

Pike's Slytherin scarf was lifted off his chest and began to swing him around. Draco began backing away towards the path. He tripped over Crabbe, who was still on the ground, as Pike fell to the snow, dazed. _He screams like a girl!_ Suddenly, Draco's legs were lifted and he was being dragged towards the Shrieking Shack by an invisible force. He quickly got up when his legs fell to the ground. He and pike ran for the path as Crabbe tried to pull his pants back up. Draco pushed him back down, speeding his way to the path.

"Malfoy, wait! Wait," Crabbe called after him as he and Pike slipped through the woods.

Hermione let out a screeching laugh. Ron chuckled. I watched as Ron's hat was pulled slightly over his eyes and Hermione's hair rose up. She giggled, "Harry!"

Harry dropped the invisibility cloak. He stood in the middle of the two, grinning like the Cheshire Cat. Ron pulled his cap back, "Bloody hell, harry! That was not funny!"

Harry just smiled at the two, "Don't thank me. It was Cora's idea."

"Where is she," Hermione asked. I smirked, scooping up the last snowball.

I came out from behind the trees, waving to the other two. Without warning I launched the snowball. It hit Hermione right in the face. Ron howled with laughter. Once Hermione recovered she glared up a storm at Ron. Before he could stop her, she scooped up a handful of snow and rubbed it in his face.

The four of us engaged in a snowball fight. Harry seemed to be winning until Hermione enchanted hers to launch themselves at Harry, Ron, and myself. We ran for the safety of the path, Hermione having the last laugh behind us


	17. Unfriends Again, I Think

**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape:**** I like the idea of an enchanted snowball fight so that's why they always have enchanted snowball fights lol. It would be fun.**

**Noel Ardnek:**** I totally agree with the whole 'Fred should be macho' thing. I can't see him being all girly about asking someone out. Just look at how he asked Angelina to the Yule Ball. But this is my story soooo…that may or may not happen (Ohhhhhh spoiler alert!)**

_**Chapter 17: Unfriends…Again…I Think**_

Moments later, the four of us were walking down Main Street. The wind and snow was relentless. I shivered; unlike Ron and Hermione, I wasn't decked out in heavy winter clothes. I was wearing my red and gold knee highs, skinny jeans, a camisole under my black long-sleeved shirt, my Gryffindor scarf and my navy hoodie. Harry was more or less the same; his hood up to cover his face from passersby. As we walked, he began telling Hermione and Ron about the map.

"Those weasels," Ron stated about the twins. "Never told me about any Marauder's Map!"

Hermione huffed, "But Harry isn't going to keep it. He's going to turn it over to Professor McGonagall, aren't you?"

"Yeah," I retorted. "Along with his invisibility cloak."

"Oh, shut up."

After a bit more walking and pointing out stores of interest to Harry, Ron decided that we backtrack to The Three Broomsticks. A few butterbeers sounded really nice in this cold weather. Harry was more than willing and in a few minutes we were across from the inn.

"Rosmerta, m'dear," Across the way, Cornelius Fudge emerged from his sleigh. Hagrid greeted the Minister, swinging the door open. He used a bit too much force and ripped the door clear off its fittings. I chuckled. Fudge was joined by McGonagall and the aging barmaid, Madam Rosmerta. "Is business good?"

Rosmerta, who was nailing a sign to the door, shook her hammer at the Minister, "It'd be a right sight better if the Ministry wasn't sending Dementors into my pub every other night!"

"We have a killer on the loose."

"Oh, Sirius Black in Hogsmeade? And what would bring him here," Fudge whispered something. Rosmerta looked severely shocked. "Harry Potter and his daughter?"

Fudge looked around nervously, then jerked his head toward the pub. Rosmerta led him and McGonagall inside. The blood rushed from my face. Ron tried to get Harry's attention a few times. When he didn't answer, we looked to where he was standing. He was gone; footprints tracking through the snow to the pub. Hermione took off with me and Ron behind her.

Harry was fast; weaving in and out of shoppers like his life depended on it. The door to the pub was flung open and I caught it just before it closed. Ron stopped behind me and Hermione peered through the window.

"I say," a shrunken head yelled at us, "can't you read? No underage wizards allowed today!"

Ron shook his head, "Thick heads…"

"So rude," I commented as the shrunken heads cackled. "Come on, let's wait."

My friends and I crossed the street and sat on a bench, watching the pub door. Minutes passed as patrons exited the pub but none of them invisible. After a while I squished myself in between Hermione and Ron to stay warm. We waited…and waited…and waited…until…_BAM!_ The pub doors flew open. I gasped and took off once again.

Harry's footprints were going faster and faster down the street and to the path to the Shrieking Shack. Ron, Hermione, and I followed as Harry ran right into a group of goblins signing carols. Instead of going around like nice, courteous people would…we went right through them as well. We followed harry all the way down the path to a rocky outcrop near the gate to the Shrieking Shack. Harry's heart-wrenching sobs stopped us in our tracks.

Hermione looked conflicted. She moved forward but Ron grabbed her arm, discouraging her from going any further. She shook him off, filling Harry's footprints with her own. I watched as she slowly knelt in front of the rocks. Hermione reached her hand out, grasping air. Very gently she pulled the invisibility cloak off of Harry. He was staring into the mist, eyes and nose red.

"He was their friend and he betrayed them. He was their FRIEND," I jumped when he shouted at Hermione. Harry turned, looking at where Ron and I stood. His green eyes bore into my own grey ones, hardening. "I hope he finds me. But when he does, I'm going to be ready. When he does, I'm going to kill him."

The four of us stayed by the outcrop for the longest time. Ron and I had moved to sit with Harry and Hermione. No one spoke. I daren't look at Harry…I was afraid. Suddenly, Harry stood up. Without a word he pulled the cloak over his head and took off again. With sad looks, we got up and slowly made our way to the carriages and back to Hogwarts.

That night at dinner, we watched Harry carefully, still not speaking because Percy was sitting too near. When we went upstairs, Fred and George had set off plenty of Dungbombs in celebration of the end of term. Harry, however, went straight up to his dorm. Hermione and Ron got caught by some of our fellow Gryffindors and were exchanging goodbyes. I snuck up to the third year boys' dorm.

It was dark in the circular room. Harry had his drapes closed around his bed and the covers over his head. "Harry," I asked uncertainly.

When there was no answer I turned around. I was about to shut the door when I heard Harry's voice. "My parents were marked for death," his voice was small.

I walked over to his bed, drawing the curtains. Harry uncovered his head, his eyes rimmed with red again. My heart broke at the sight of him. I sat at the edge of his bed as he sat up. I didn't want to say anything. I didn't want him to snap at me for no reason. I didn't want him to be mad at me. But I couldn't stop him from doing that.

"They were best friends, you know, our parents," _I did know…_ "McGonagall said they were inseparable; troublemakers but very bright. My dad trusted him with everything he had. Black betrayed him, gave away my parents to Voldemort. He's the reason they're dead, Cora," Harry looked up at me, fresh tears spilling from his eyes. I began to cry too. "Now he wants to finish what he started. He wants to kill me…he wants to kill his godson."

That surprised me, "Harry I –"

"Now you understand why I hate him so much? He took my parents away from me. He ruined my life, Cora. I know he's your dad, but he deserves to die."

I let out a shaky breath. It hurt to hear my best friend say that. "I don't believe that…"

Harry looked at me like I had three heads, "Don't believe it? Cora! What part of "killed my parents" don't you understand? He destroyed another one of their friends. Peter Pettigrew. Did you know that?"

I didn't. "Harry…please understand…I just don't think…" my voice cracked.

"Get. Out."

"Harry…"

"Now…"

I leaped off the bed and ran to the door. I skipped down the stairs and stopped as soon as I reached the bottom. Taking a deep breath I walked from the boys' stair to the girls. No one looked twice seeing as I had composed myself long enough to reach the staircase. I sprinted all the way to my dorm. I was very quiet as I almost literally jumped into bed. Jo, Lavender, Parvati…even Hermione were asleep. Not dressing for bed, I pulled the covers over my head, crying myself to sleep.


	18. Evil Mistletoe

_**Chapter 18: Evil Mistletoe **_

I had a nightmare.

I could hear laughing in the darkness. It got closer and closer as it consumed my very soul, setting it on fire. My father stood before me in a tux standing next to a man who looked like Harry and a woman with fiery red hair. I watched, as if I were watching a movie. The couple looked so in love, so in the moment. My father's laughing went from light and carefree to menacing. He pulled out his wand, his lips forming a dark smirk, and pointed it at the man's back. A brilliant jet of green flashed and the scene changed. Dad stood before a rather pudgy man (he reminded me of Neville or a mouse) and had the same scary smirk on his face. I watched as he blasted the man into a thousand pieces. The scene changed. Dad was kneeling in front of a dark figure. When he spoke, his voice was low and raspy, "It has happened, My Lord, the Potters have made me their Secret-Keeper…" Then came another voice, laughing that same laugh that had been haunting my dreams for 12 years…

I hadn't gotten any sleep until dawn. I woke, finding the dorm empty. I groaned as I rolled out of bed and collected my toiletries. I decided, since it was the first day of break, to take a long bath. When I entered the bathroom I smiled widely. Jo had left her half empty grape-smelling bath beads on the counter. Needless to say, I dumped the whole thing into the bath and ran the warm water. I sighed, sinking into the grapey goodness. After about an hour I decided it was time to get out.

As I made my way into the common room I noticed my three friends around the fire. Hermione had spread her homework over three tables, figures. Ron was rubbing his stomach, an empty bag of Honeydukes candy at his feet. And Harry was staring into the fire, Crookshanks spread out like a rug at his feet. It seemed as if I had just walked into a conversation.

The three looked up. Hermione gave me a half smile, "Oh, Cora. We were wondering when you'd show up. It's nearly lunchtime."

Harry looked away quickly as I took a seat next to Ron on the sofa. "I was taking a much needed bath."

Ron, ever so observant, looked at me funny, "You smell like grapes."

His stomach let out a loud growl. I laughed, "Compliments of Jo."

We lapsed into silence. The only sounds were Hermione's scribbling quill, the crackling fire, Crookshanks' yawns, and Ron's stomach. Suddenly, Harry looked up, "Malfoy knows. Remember what he said to me in Potions?"

I closed my eyes, letting my head fall back. I zoned out as I let the three finish their conversation from before. I did however, catch little tidbits of it. Ron mentioned something about Peter Pettigrew and how Sirius Black was a madman and very dangerous. Then Harry mentioned Voldemort's inner circle. Ron retorted. Hermione's voice shook as she asked Harry not to go after Black. She told him he'd be playing right into Black's hands. Then she guilt tripped him saying that his parents wouldn't want him to get hurt by going after Black.

"I'll never know what they'd have wanted, because thanks to Black, I've never known them," said Harry shortly.

My eyes snapped open. I jumped up; receiving stares of confusion from my friends. My fists clenched and unclenched. I glared daggers at Harry. A hatred I had never known before coursed through my veins, "You are not the only one who lost a parent to Black…"

Before tears could fall, I bolted to the portrait. "Way to go Harry…OW!"

I had no idea what Hermione or Harry had done to make Ron hurt. I left seventh floor as fast as my legs could go. I ran around the castle with tunnel vision until I actually ran into something hard. That something turned out to be somethings. Fred and George Weasley to be precise. When the two saw me in my teary state they demanded to know what happened and who did it. I spent the rest of the day telling them all about my Harry problems and they spent the rest of the day trying to cheer me up. Of course, it worked and I was my old happy self again.

I spent my break wisely. In the mornings up until lunch I would be in the library or common room with Hermione doing our mountains of work. Occasionally we'd be joined by Ginny, who'd ask us for help, and (because Hermione made them) Ron and Harry. Speaking of Harry…we made up…again. He told me he couldn't stay mad at me forever once. I didn't believe him until now. Ron and Hermione were so mad at us that they locked us in a broom closet until we made up. I called Harry a hypocrite, he apologized, and BAM! We're friends again.

After lunch I would put away my work and roam the castle with my friends (minus Hermione, who was _still_ doing homework). If it wasn't snowing I would go out to the Quidditch pitch with the Weasleys and Harry to play a game of pick-up Quidditch. When it did snow, I was inside with the twins playing pranks on those who stayed for the break. Too bad for me John Haring and two of his friends stayed behind. Fred came up with a prank and I was the one who had to execute it. I failed and ended up running away (again) from the Ravenclaw boy as he shouted god-awful pickup lines at me.

"_You have the portkey to my heart!"_ and _"Without you I feel like I'm in Azkaban and Dementors are sucking away my soul."_ Oh, and my favorite… _"My name might not be Luna, but I know how to Lovegood!"_

I saw him at breakfast the next day with not one, but two black eyes. Fred put his arm around my shoulders, glowering at the Ravenclaw. It made me kinda mad. I could have handled it…once I stopped running. I can throw a mean punch too…but then I would feel bad. I did feel bad. It was a really weird feeling. I gave Haring a sort of sympathetic smile before digging into my mince pie.

Meanwhile, the usual outstanding Christmas decorations were being set up. I never understood why they did this. There were hardly any students around to enjoy them. Thick streamers of holly and mistletoe were strung along every corridor, red and green lights shone within the suits of armor, and the Great Hall was filled with the usual twelve gigantic Christmas trees, the golden ornaments glittering. And no matter where you were in the castle, the wondrous smell of the Christmas feast cooking reached your nose.

On Christmas Eve I walked into the Great Hall with Ron to find the House tables had been moved against the wall and a single long table was in the middle. We joined Hermione and Harry as Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Sprout, and Flitwick along with Filch sat down. Besides me, Harry, Hermione, the five Weasleys (Percy stayed?), Haring and his two friends there were two first years and a fifth year Slytherin.

"Merry Christmas," Dumbledore announced. My friends and I sat on the opposite side of long table from the Professors and Filch. Dumbledore offered us all crackers. I don't mean food crackers, I mean a large sort of noisemaker cracker. When you pull them open they sound like gunshots and have (if you're lucky) some pretty cool stuff inside. I opened mine with a bang to reveal a larger-than-normal Pumpkin Pasty.

After a fabulous dinner and even better deserts, we all headed off to bed. When all of us Gryffindors reached the portrait, we found Sir Cadogan enjoying a Christmas party with a couple of monks and several of previous Headmasters. When he saw us he pushed up his visor and rose his flagon of mead.

"Merry – hic – Christmas! Password?"

"Scurvy cur," said Ron.

"And the same to you, sir," the crazy Knight roared. The painting swung forward. As I was about to go in, guess who called my name? Yup…John Haring. You wanna know what he said? Another one of his stupid, ignorant pickup lines. HA! Like that'll ever get me to like him…but then I saw his double black eyes and I felt bad again.

I turned back around and the portrait was shut, Sir Cadogan and the others were gone. My shoulders slumped, "Freakin' great!"

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Harry standing there. He looked at me, "…we wait?"

"No shit Sherlock."

Harry and I stood stupidly outside the portrait, waiting either for Sir Cadogan to come back or for someone inside to realize we were outside. Not going to happen soon. As we struck up a conversation about Quidditch, neither of us noticed the mistletoe slowly growing across the portraits above us. I looked up, sensing something off. I groaned. The mistletoe had grown above us and was stretching down. When I looked back at Harry I noticed the unease in his eyes. Hogwarts mistletoe was quite dangerous. It caught people at random and if you kissed you were off the hook…but if you refused…the mistletoe would grow down until it pricked you with its poison vines. Once a Hufflepuff and Slytherin got caught and refused to kiss…it was terrible.

I gulped. The mistletoe got closer and closer. I bit my lip, closing the gap between me and Harry. He stood there with a dumb look on his face. Honestly, the only reason I was doing this was because I didn't want to spend a week in the Hospital Wing like those poor sixth years. I got on my toes, placing my hands on Harry's shoulders to steady myself. As I tilted my head on way Harry did the opposite. Nearly seconds away from being pricked, Harry's lips landed on mine. Nothing…no fireworks…not any other feelings besides awkwardness.

I pulled away, a small smacking noise from our lips. I looked up just in time to see the mistletoe retreating back to wherever the hall it came from. Harry's face was red. We were best friends and now officially each other's first kiss…

"That was…" he stopped.

"I don't…"

"Not…" he stopped again, trying to think.

"No," I shook my head vigorously. "Let's never do that again."

Harry agreed. Suddenly the portrait opened. Red hair stuck out and George's face followed it. "You two done having your girl time, or what?"

I gave Harry an uncomfortable smile and ran inside. I didn't stop until I got to my dorm. I grabbed my clothes, rushing for the bathroom. When Hermione asked me what was wrong I lied. I told her I was just excited for presents. That night I fell into a dreamless sleep for the first time in a long time.


	19. Presents

**A/N: ****Hello my dearest readers. I am back, not to worry. I just lost my inspiration for a bit. But…then I saw my darling Fred Weasley in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2. OHMYGAWD! Yeah I've never cried so much during a movie before. When they showed the freaking 5 second long scene of Fred getting **_**Avada Kedavra**_**-ed I shouted 'NOOOO'. The people behind me laughed and my best friend hit my chest. It broke my heart. I'd like to take this time to say that Fred Weasley is my fictional character husband and he will be missed.**

**Noel Ardnek:**** That Neville scene will come up…soon…maybe…I actually don't know when but I'll write it just for you.**

**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape:**** Lol I did get those from a website. I couldn't think of any good ones so I had to look them up. I didn't want to use the really dirty ones yet though.**

_**Chapter 19: Presents**_

Christmas morning I woke up by two oversized pillows hitting me in the head. I groaned, rolling over and pulling my covers over my head. Second later they were pulled off of me. I shivered from the cold. The shrill giggling noises behind me made me open my eyes. Once again I was hit with a pillow.

"Wake up, Cora! We've got presents downstairs," Ginny squealed as she dug through my trunk. I yawned as Hermione placed the pillows back on her bed. Ginny handed me a pair of jeans, a dark green shirt, and my black sweater.

After I changed the three of us raced down the spiral stairs. In front of the fire were the rest of the Weasley clan and Harry. By the tree, Fred and George were putting on each other's sweaters from Molly. It was amusing. I know half their family can't tell them apart but I can. Harry and Ron were sitting on the loveseat, eating sweets and opening gifts. Close to them were three small piles of gifts for Hermione, Ginny, and myself. The three of us grinned and practically dove into our piles.

The first few packages I opened were from Molly. I was given a maroon sweater with a golden lion of the front. I immediately pulled off my black one and yanked my new on over my head. Fred, who was wearing a purple sweater with a black "G", laughed at my giddiness. I loved getting new clothes. In the other package I also got a few homemade mince pies and fudge. When I opened Arthur's gift I squealed. He had gotten me my favorite American Muggle treat called Razzles. In each flavor too which was even better (Original, Sour, and Tropical). _"First it's a candy, then it's a gum. Little round Razzles are so much fun!"_

I received a set of new quills and colored ink (red, gold, and multicolor) from Hermione. Fred and George bought me a book on pranks. I bet if it were a Muggle book it'd be called Pranking for Dummies. That made me smile and I hugged both of them. I would give Fred a kiss on the cheek later. The thought made me blush furiously. The next gift I opened was from Harry and Ron; a huge bag of Honeydukes sweets and a plastic Muggle mood ring. I laughed so hard. When I asked Harry how he got it he said he found it at the bottom of his trunk. I didn't ask questions, I just laughed harder. From Ginny I got a really pretty handcrafted rope bracelet. You know those thin kinda rope-string things in different colors? Yeah…I didn't even know she could do that.

I got a large bag of chocolate from Remus with a note that said 'it helps'. I felt guilt flicker in my heart; I haven't been spending much time with my godfather lately. I needed to get on that. Andi and Ted sent me a beautiful silver charm bracelet with a 'C' charm already clipped on it. They also sent me a book called _Spell potions_ by Tim. Apparently it concerned potions which required spells to be properly brewed. Pretty cool! From Tonks I received a pair of eagle feather earrings and a silver star charm to go with my bracelet.

After all the presents were open Harry, Ron, Hermione, and myself went up to the year boys' dorm. We lounged around and talked for what seemed like hours. I opened the bag of chocolate from Remus and Crookshanks jumped on Seamus's bed (the bed I was currently on). He looked rather grumpy (which was not surprising because he always looks grumpy) and had a string of tinsel tied around his neck. Ron saw him and placed Scabbers securely in his pajama pocket. Rolling my eyes, I turned to Harry and struck up a conversation about Quidditch.

A few minutes into the conversation I asked what team Ron would rather be on. Before he could answer, Crookshanks sprang from the bed, right at Ron's chest.

"GET HIM OUT," Ron bellowed as Crookshanks dug his claws into his pajama shirt. Scabbers climbed wildly out of the pocket. Ron grabbed his rat and went to kick Crookshanks, who was now on the ground. Ron missed, hitting Harry's trunk. It fell over as Ron hopped up and down, howling in pain.

A shrill whistling filled the room. The Pocket Sneakoscope had fallen out of the trunk and was whirling and gleaming on the floor. When Harry picked it up it was still whirling and whistling. Crookshanks's fur stood on end as he hissed at it.

Ron was furious. "Get that thing out of here, Hermione," he sat at the edge of his bed, nursing his toe. Hermione huffed, striding out of the room. Crookshanks never looked away from Ron.

Harry shoved the Sneakoscope back in his trunk. The only sounds in the room now were Ron's moans of pain. I rolled my eyes, whipping out my wand. "You're such a baby, Ron." I pointed my wand at the three open gashes on his chest. They were bleeding but not a lot. "_Episkey_."

The gashes closed up without leaving a scar. Ron muttered his thanks, picking up Scabbers. The rat, which used to be pretty fat, was now very skinny. There were places on his body where patches of fur were missing. It was a sad sight. Ron, though he complained about him most of the time, was very attached to the rat.

Christmas spirit seemed thinner in the tower. Hermione shut her cat in our dorm, but was furious at Ron for trying to kick him; Ron was still fuming at the cat's latest attempt to eat his rat. Harry and I gave up at trying to get them to talk to each other. Ron and Hermione were both stubborn people. For dinner, the Great Hall still had the one table in the middle. Harry and I sat next to each other in a final attempt to get Ron and Hermione to sit together and talk. Those smarties figured a way around that. Ron sat on Harry's left and Hermione sat on my right.

So, for the rest of the break, Hermione avoided the common room. Harry and Ron went on as usual and I was the one who was in-between friends. I hated picking sides. It was either stay with Hermione in the library, doing work all day; doing absolutely nothing all day with Harry and Ron; or just having fun with Ginny and the twins. I chose Ginny and the twins.


	20. January

**A/N:**** Much thanks to **_**vlascoD14**_** and **_**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape**_**!**

_**Chapter 20: January**_

I admit, I was very happy when the rest of the school returned for the new term. I was even happier when Gryffindor Tower became noisy again. Classes started after New Year's Day. The last thing I wanted to do was spend an entire Care of Magical Creatures outside in the January cold, but Hagrid had bonfires of Salamanders to keep us warm. We spent most of the month observing the creatures and collecting leaves and dry wood to keep the fires blazing. The Divination lesson we started was less fun. Professor Trelawney was teaching us the 'art' of palmistry. And, naturally, she said that Harry had the shortest life line she'd ever seen.

Potions was fun…in its own twisted way of course. Not to brag, but I was the top in my class. Charms was okay. I'm pretty sure I did well enough to pass. Transfiguration was my absolute favorite class. History of Magic was my least favorite. It was actually my nap before Astronomy. I was good in that class because Andi taught me a lot about stars and such over the summer. Herbology + me = fail. I won't even begin to tell you how badly I suck at Herbology.

January happened to be my birthday month too. I was one of the oldest third years at Hogwarts. Some Slytherin boy turned 14 on New Year's Day and John Haring's birthday was on the tenth of January. My 14th birthday was on the nineteenth. I didn't want a big party or anything but the twins went out of their way to bring in butterbeers and Honeydukes sweets. They also snuck down to the kitchens and brought up food. We skipped lunch and had a nice little get-together.

The last class I had that week (the 19th was a Friday) was Defense Against the Dark Arts. Remus was the best teacher I'd ever had in that subject. At Salem my Professor was more or less like Professor Binns, except he wasn't a ghost; last year with Professor Lockhart was just a joke so I learned nothing. Thankfully, with Remus, I not only learned but remembered what he taught us. At the end of class I waited with Ron while Harry talked to Remus. My godfather would be giving my best friend anti-Dementor lessons on Thursdays.

"Still looks ill, doesn't he," Ron said as we walked down to dinner. Remus did look pale in class today. Hell, he looked pale all the time. There was an impatient 'harrumph' from behind us. Hermione was sitting at the feet of a suit of armor, repacking her bag. It looked like it would explode at any moment.

"Well isn't it obvious?"

"Uh…no," Ron rolled his eyes. "Look, if you don't want to tell us then don't open your mouth."

"Fine," Hermione snapped, marching off.

"She doesn't know," Ron turned, grabbing Harry's arm. "She just wants us to talk to her again."

Ron marched off to dinner with Harry; he looked back with an annoyed expression on his face. I ran after Hermione, losing sight of her in seconds. I had to ask around before a first year Gryffindor I recognized told me she was heading for the Astronomy classroom. I tired myself out as I ran all the way up the spiral staircase to the top-most level of the Astronomy Tower.

The door was propped open via Hermione's bursting-at-the-seams school bag. In the center of the room was a large armillary sphere and replica of the Earth. The dying sun streamed through the open sections of the tower, painting the room amber-red and gold. The small decorative stone cherubs seemed to stare me down as I made my way over to my friend. She was standing on one of the many balconies, leaning on the iron security railing, watching the sun set. I dropped my bag and joined her out on the railing.

"Beautiful, isn't it," I broke the silence. "You can go all year at Hogwarts and nothing surprises you. But at the sight of a Scottish sunset…now that's breathtaking."

Hermione turned to me, tear filled her eyes. I opened my arms and she latched her arms around my neck. I patted her back as she cried. "Why does he have to do that? Why does he have to be so mean to me all the time, Cora? What did I ever do to him?"

I didn't say anything as I let Hermione cry her eyes out. I didn't know why Ron did the things he did to her; I didn't know why he was so mean; she did nothing to him. But then I thought for a moment that I understood why. Ron liked Hermione and, being the immature boy he was, showed her by picking on her. It was classic.

Hermione finally pulled away, running her fingers under her reddened eyes. "Will you be okay," I asked softly.

She nodded. "He – they just don't get it do they? I mean the signs are all there! Either they refuse to believe me or they're just that thick. But you know, don't you?"

I wrapped my arm around Hermione's shoulder. I picked up my bag and smiled at my friend, pretending I knew what she was babbling about, "Of course I do, Mione. And we'll get them to see it too. Now c'mon, let's go to dinner. I bet we'll make it in time to grab some of that chicken you like so much."

Hermione smirked, "Before Ron eats it all…" I laughed out loud as we began to make our way down the spiral stair. The rest of the way to the Great Hall, Hermione talked animatedly about our classes. I listened the whole time. I am such a good friend.

After dinner I was full from amazing food (I was surprised I hadn't gained any weight that year), my brain hurt from thinking too much, and I was dead tired. Boy did I need a bath. While everyone stayed in the common room, chatting, I went up to our empty dorm and walked right into the bathroom. Lucky for me, Jo got another bottle of those terrific smelling bath beads. Cherry scented this time.

When I walked out of the bathroom, clean and cherry smelling, the dorm was still empty. I sat at the edge of my bed, drying my hair off. I reached over to get my hairbrush when something shiny caught my eye. On my pillow was a small scarlet box with a golden ribbon tied around it. Dropping the brush back on my side table, I reached out for the box. As I picked it up I felt that the box was velvet and somewhat heavy.

Because I like the suspense of things, I pulled on the golden bow slowly. I tried opening it up, but the lid wouldn't budge. _Oh, duh._ There was a golden clasp keeping it shut. I flipped the clasp open and slowly lifted up the lid. Suddenly a beautiful melody filled the quiet room. I closed my eyes.

Pictures of my mom flickered in the dark, growing stronger and stronger. She was beautiful; a warm round face framed by long, flowing brown hair. Her green eyes filled with joy as she smiled at me. She was dancing around the living room with me in her arms. She seemed so happy, so carefree.

All too soon, the music faded and I was pulled back to reality. At the bottom of the box was a golden charm. It was a dog with silver eyes. I tried to remember a dog. Did we have one? Yes…a big black, shaggy dog…but his name was forgotten, a memory I couldn't recall. I clipped the charm on my bracelet and put it inside the music box. There was no note, no name…nothing. I placed the velvet box on my table, getting under the covers. I shut the top and opened it again, falling asleep to the soft tune I remembered.

I didn't know it then, but if I had examined the box more carefully I would have found something. A clue to who gave me the birthday surprise. In a beautiful silvery calligraphy was a name. Padfoot.

**A/N:** **I want to apologize for the last two chapters. They weren't really up to par, were they? Anyway if you want to know what melody I chose for the music box here is the link. If you so choose to listen to it just think of it more music box-y like. **

.com/watch?v=Ylo01-LIp6Y&feature=related


	21. Close Enough to Kill

**A/N:** **So I noticed that the link for the music box melody cut off. Sad face. Anyway if I try to put it on here again it might cut off…again. So I'll just tell you (if you happen to be interested…which I hope you are) to go on this lovely site called YouTube and in the search box enter 'main title the notebook'. It should be the very first one you see. It's very lovely! Thanks to **_**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape**_**, **_**Noel Ardnek**_**, and **_**vlascoD14**_

_**Chapter 21: Close Enough to Kill**_

Months passed and winter transitioned to spring. If one thought winter at Hogwarts was beautiful, then they haven't seen spring. The snow was melting all around, making the grass dewy and giving off a fresh scent. Gorgeous flowers of purple, yellow, white, and pink popped up all over the courtyards. Butterflies and dragonflies fluttered over the lawns and birds began nesting in the trees. Even the Whomping Willow was greeting spring as it shook water from itself, drying off the green leaves growing from its branches. And such a sight was the Giant Squid as it broke through the last layers of ice on the Black Lake. Springtime at Hogwarts was beautiful, just plain beautiful.

Life went on as normal. I still didn't know who sent me the music box; Harry was _still_ taking anti-Dementor lessons; Ron and Hermione were on okay terms; yadda yadda yadda. On one Thursday night, Ron and I were walking with Harry back to the common room after his lesson with Remus. Harry was talking to Ron about Hermione when we reached portrait. Neville was standing in front of Sir Cadogan, pleading with him. The Knight seemed to be refusing him entrance.

"I wrote them down," Neville said, frustrated. "I must have dropped them somewhere!"

"A likely tale," Sir Cadogan roared. As we approached, his mood lightened. "Good even, my fine young yeomen and lady! Come clap this loon in irons. He is trying to force entry to the chambers within!"

"Oh, shut up," Ron muttered as we stood next to Neville. He looked so distraught. Harry said the password and Sir Cadogan let us in.

My two friends went up to their dorm while I stayed back with Neville. There was almost no one around; just a group of seventh years and a first year or two. We stood at the portrait awkwardly. I looked at Neville out of the corner of my eye. He was looking at his feet, inching to the side. Finally I caved.

"Neville what's wrong? Did I say something to offend you or something? Because honestly, this need to avoid me is getting old and annoying."

"I – I'm not av – avoiding you."

I sighed exasperatedly, "Yes, Neville, you are. You have been since last year. What did I do? Was I too harsh on you in Potions or something? Was it because I laughed when those pixies hung you from the chandelier in Defense? What?"

"You just – you look like…" he looked at his feet, mumbling.

"Who," by now those that were in the common room were gone. I brought Neville over to the fireplace and sat us down on the couch. "Neville, please. You can tell me, I promise I won't get mad or anything."

The boy looked up at me, his blue green eyes full of sadness. "I said you look like someone that I – my parents were – it's just – it's Bellatrix Lestrange, okay. You look like Bellatrix Lestrange."

"Oh, Neville I –"

He cut me off, suddenly more confident, "No, I shouldn't have thought that. But then when The Fat Lady said you had Sirius Black's eyes I was afraid. Every time I saw you, I saw her. I thought you'd hurt me…"

My shoulders slumped. _He really thought that…?_ I grasped his hand, "Neville I would never hurt you. Even though we haven't spoken in god knows how long, you're a fellow Gryffindor and my friend."

"I'm sorry, Cora. I shouldn't have judged you like the others."

I patted his hand. "I forgive you, Neville. And thank you, for telling me. That was very Gryffindor of you," I got up, holding out my hand for him to take. "Now that we got passed that, I have a proposition for you. Something I've been meaning to ask you for a while now."

"O – okay, um anything," he took my hand and I pulled him up.

"You help me in Herbology and I'll be your partner in Potions class again."

"Deal," I smiled. Neville wasted no time in answering me. He sucked at Potions just as much as I sucked at Herbology. "Well I'm gonna turn in. Night Cora.

I chuckled, "Night Neville."

All the girls in my dorm were asleep. After my little talk with Neville, I went straight up and pulled the photo album Tonks gave me from my trunk. I was on my side facing the window, covers completely off. I was flipping through the album when I stopped at a picture of my parents wedding. Their happy faces were barely visible in the soft light coming from my wand. I sighed, closing the album and slipped it under my pillows. I shut my eyes and willed myself to sleep.

_Hermione's voice entered my head once "Well isn't it obvious?" then twice "I mean the signs are all there! Either they refuse to believe me or they're just that thick. But you know, don't you?" I told her I knew. But I didn't know…did I?_

_Lycanthropy is a magical illness known to be spread by saliva-blood contact; thus, a human bitten by a werewolf in wolf form will become a werewolf him or herself._

_On every full moon, a werewolf will go through an incredibly painful transformation from a human into a wolf-like creature._

_Though werewolves usually only infect their victims through biting, they sometimes take it too far and attack their victims. Without any humans nearby to attack, or other animals to occupy it, the werewolf will attack itself out of frustration. This leaves many werewolves such as with self-inflicted scars and premature aging from the difficult transformations._

_Remus's face danced across my dream as the passages from the werewolf lesson faded in and out. Pain. Scars. Aging. All the signs were there! I couldn't be true. There was no way Remus Lupin, my godfather…but I was true. I knew it deep down. Remus Lupin was a werewolf._

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

My eyes snapped open. Lavender suddenly sat up as if someone dowsed her with ice cold water. Parvati fell out of her bed, letting out a small shriek which woke Jo and Hermione. We were all up now and wondering what the heck was going on. Lavender jumped from her bed and lit the lamp in the middle of the room. Hermione, whose bed was closest to the door, flung it open. Our fellow female Gryffindors were crowed along the corridor. Sleepy voices echoed in worry and frustration.

"Who shouted?"

"What in Merlin's name is going on?"

"I think it came from the boys' side!"

Hermione and I shared a worried look and dashed out into the hall. We squeezed passed the younger girls to get to the staircase. In the middle of the common room stood the twins, Harry, and a very pale Ron. People had gathered around the bottom of their respected stairs.

"Everyone back upstairs. Back to bed," a disheveled Percy shouted. He was pinning on his Head Boy badge as he spoke. "Ron what is the meaning of this?"

"Perce – he was in our room – Sirius Black," Ron told his older brother faintly. My heart stopped. "He was in our dormitory with a knife!"

Just as Ron finished, McGonagall slammed the portrait behind her as she entered the common room. If looks could kill… Ron turned to her frantically, telling her the entirety of what took place in his dorm. By now, all of Gryffindor House, in our pajamas mind you, gathered in the common room. Hermione had moved next to the fireplace, watching Ron. And I placed myself in the same corner just in front of the twins. McGonagall's face went from fury to irritation.

"That's preposterous, Weasley. How could Sirius Black possibly have gotten through the portrait hole?"

"I don't know how he got in! I was a bit busy dodging his knife," Ron practically shouted. Just then, Crookshanks rubbed up against his leg. "And that bloody cat ate my rat!"

"That's a lie," Hermione stepped forward, a look of rage on her face.

"It's not and you bloody well know it!"

"Silence," McGonagall shouted at my friends. She turned and everyone followed her gaze to Sir Cadogan. Sensing attention, the Knight perked up instantly. "Sir Cadogan is it possible that you let a mysterious man enter Gryffindor Tower tonight?"

"Certainly, good lady," he flourished his sword. "He had the password. Had the whole weeks' worth, in fact."

McGonagall turned again, the common room grew deadly silent. "Which foolish person wrote down the passwords and proceeded to lose them," her voice low. The silence was broken by the smallest of terrified squeaks. Trembling, Neville raised his hand slowly. The look on out Head of House was pained. He sighed. "While we know that Sirius Black is gone tonight, I think you can all safely assume he will, at some future time, attempt to return. Let me be clear. You are not to move about the castle alone. And you do not write down the password! Understood!"

There were nodding heads and soft murmurs of agreement. McGonagall gave the ties of her robe a sharp tug. She told us all to go to bed and then exited the common room. As the students drifted off, I stayed back with my three friends. Harry was staring into the fire, his brow furrowed in thought. Ron slumped down next to him. He cast Hermione an angry glance at the cat in her arms.

"I could've killed him," Harry didn't look away from the dying embers. Hermione looked at him sadly. "He was right there. Close enough to touch…close enough to kill…"

I looked away, staring out the window into the darkness. Harry might have wanted to kill Sirius Black, but I know I would have stopped him. Harry wasn't going to touch a hair on Sirius Black's head. I would make sure of that.

**A/N:**** I know, I know…that Neville/Cora scene was terrible. I wrote this chapter really fast and I have no other explanation to why it is so bad. Sorry…**


	22. Snape Hates Our Fathers

_**Chapter 22: Snape Hates Our Fathers**_

The next day, everywhere we went we saw signs of tighter security. The doors were taught to recognize Sirius Black; Filch ran up and down each corridor, boarding up everything that was cracked or had a hole. To all the Gryffindors' delight though, Sir Cadogan had been fired. The Fat Lady had come back looking almost like new. There was a new addition to her painting though; two security trolls.

Ron had become an instant celebrity. For the first time people were paying more attention to him than Harry. The Boy Who Was Almost Gutted By Sirius Black. How pathetic. But it was clear Ron was shaken by the experience. Still, he was happy to tell anyone who asked about what happened…in full detail. The only thing I wanted to know, why had Black run? He could have silenced Ron, since he went to the wrong bed, and find and kill Harry. If he had killed 13 people all those years ago…why couldn't he kill five boys?

Neville was humiliated. He was banned from all future Hogsmeade trips for the year, was given a detention, and was not told the new passwords. He had to wait outside for someone to let him in. Sometimes, instead of walking to our next class with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, I'd ask if Neville needed to get anything from the common room before we left. But nothing that happened to him was as bad as the wrath of his grandmother. Two days after the incident Neville received the worst thing a student could get in the mail – a Howler. It was awful.

In the common room a large group of people were bunched around the bulletin board. There was a Hogsmeade trip next weekend. Ron dragged Harry onto a secluded corner and whispered to him. Hermione also dragged me to the corner, although we sat at a small table behind the two. Harry and Ron were talking about Hogsmeade when Hermione heard Ron ask how Harry was getting it.

"Harry," she whispered harshly. The two turned around, Ron glared at her. "Harry if you go to Hogsmeade…I'll tell Professor McGonagall about that map!"

Ron turned back around, "Is someone talking, Harry?"

The two began arguing…again. It ended with Harry agreeing to go anyway. Hermione huffed and stamped off. On Saturday I watched as Ron left for Hogsmeade with Seamus and Dean while Hermione left with Ginny. I promised Hermione I'd go with Harry via One-Eyed Witch entrance so he'd be safe or whatever. Nice to know she cares about _my_ safety. Harry packed the Invisibility Cloak in my bag and shoved the map in his pocket and we hurried to the third floor.

We dashed behind the statue, crouching down low. A dot was moving in our direction. It read _Neville Longbottom_. I quickly pulled out my wand and muttered the password. I dropped my bag into the passage, but before either Harry or I could jump down, Neville came around the corner.

"Harry! I forgot you weren't going to Hogsmeade either! Hello, Cora. Why aren't you there?"

Harry and I shared a look, moving away from the statue. Harry hid the map behind my back. I smiled, "Hi, Neville. I decided to stay behind with Harry this time. What's up?"

"Nothing," he shrugged. "Want to play a game of Exploding Snap?"

"Er – not now – we were uh…"

"We were just going to the library to do that vampire essay for Lupin," I said quickly. I grabbed Harry's arm, pulling him in the direction of the library.

Neville stepped next to me, "Then I'll come with you! I haven't done it either!"

"No, wait," Harry stopped. "Yeah, I forgot, we finished it last night!"

"Great, you can help me," Neville said brightly. "I don't understand that thing about garlic at all. Do they have to eat it or –"

"What the devil is going on here," we turned around. Neville went sort of ridged, backing up behind me and Harry. Snape's eyes narrowed as he looked at each of us. "An odd place to meet…"

"We're not meeting here," Harry said. "We just…met here."

"Indeed," Snape stared Harry down. "You have a habit of turning up in unexpected places, Potter, and you are very rarely there for a good reason…I suggest the three of you return to Gryffindor Tower, where you belong."

After that, I followed the boys back to the common room. Harry let Neville in and then grabbed my hand and ran around the corner. If Neville came back out he wouldn't be able to get back in. Harry and I were already heading for the third floor again. When Harry checked the map it showed Snape back in his office. We opened the passageway again and Harry jumped down. He looked back up at me, I gave him an uneasy glance.

"Well, let's go. Ron's waiting."

"Harry, what if someone sees us when we come back? Hell, what if Snape comes back?"

"Are you really going to think about that right now?"

"Just go," my shoulders slumped a little. "I'll be here when you get back. Look, if you aren't back here in one hour then I'm coming after you."

Harry's lips twitched. He picked up my bag, trying to hand it to me. "Don't worry about me."

"That's what they all say," I shook my head. "Keep the bag. You never know when you'll need it."

Harry looked at it disdainfully. It was neon pink with a baby blue fleur-de-lis pattern on it. The straps were a little lopsided and the stitching was off. But hey, Tonks made it for me. "What will I need this for?"

"Oh, you know this and that; money; warm clothes just in case; room to hold the junk you boys buy…" I smiled warmly. "Now go. You've already wasted three minutes."

Harry slung the bag over his shoulder, picked up his invisibility cloak, and took off. I walked back to the common room at a slow pace. So I had an hour to kill and no one to kill it with. Sure there was Neville and I could help him with that essay I neglected to finish. I sighed, taking a little detour Fred and George showed me a while back. For the longest hour of my life I spend every second wishing I hadn't gone back to the common room to help Neville. His notes were terrible and incomplete; he was forgetting crucial information. Vampires had rights and were not a threat to the magical community; it stated so in the Ministry's _Guidelines for the Treatment of Non-Wizard Part-Humans_.

As soon as Harry's hour was up, I made an excuse to leave the common room. I had finished my essay and Neville was only part done. Poor boy. I waited by the witch statue for my friend. Suddenly, from around the corner, Snape appeared with a hideous smirk on his face.

"Miss Maguire? And what is it you're doing here?"

I froze, "I – uh nothing Professor. I just – er – forgot something from before…"

"A likely story," just then the witch statue opened and Harry appeared. His eyes widened. Snape looked back between us. "So. Come with me, the both of you."

Harry and I followed Snape downstairs. Harry was trying to wipe the dirt and grime off his person without Snape seeing. We walked all the way down to the dungeons and into Snape's office. Lining the walls were slimy horrible things in jars. They glinted in the firelight, making the atmosphere intimidating. Snape began grilling Harry about where he had been and what he was doing. Apparently, Draco saw Harry's head floating about in Hogsmeade near the Shrieking Shack. Harry denied it all. I spoke up and told Snape Harry was up in Gryffindor Tower with me; we were working on our essays.

Snape sneered, his eyes glinting, "How extraordinarily like your fathers you are. Thought they could protect one another with their arrogance. Strutting about the place with their friends and admirers… The resemblance is uncanny."

Harry grit his teeth, "My dad didn't strut. And nor do I."

"Your father never set much store by rules either," Snape narrowed his eyes. "Rules were for lesser mortals."

"Harry," I warned. I could sense him getting angry. Lashing out at a teacher was not something he needed.

"And you," he looked at me, his face full of malice "I knew you the first time you walked into my class. Same unruly black hair; same mischievous grey eyes. It wasn't very long until that temper of your father's burst out. How's it feel to know your daddy is a –"

"SHUT UP!"

I was suddenly on my feet. Rage I had not felt since I lashed out at Pansy Parkinson coursed through me. I was seeing red again and I was breathing hard. I didn't feel Harry's hand on my arm, trying to pull me down. I didn't care that Snape's eyes were flashing dangerously.

"What did you say to me, Maguire?"

"I said," my voice was dangerously low, "shut up about my dad."

"Well, well, well, maybe it was you who let Black into the castle then?"

I stepped a few inches closer to Snape's desk. Harry grasped my hand, successfully pulling me towards the door. It slammed shut just after I walked though. I let out a cry of hatred. I kicked a few boxes that were just right outside his office. Harry led me back up to the common room where the rest of the students had gathered. Hogsmeade trip was over and that meant dinner was soon.

"Why the hell would he say that," I turned to Harry as we reached the portrait. "How could anyone even – I'm not – that stupid son of a bitch!"

"Hope you aren't talking about me," Ron stood behind us, his arms full of sweets. I huffed, walking inside the common room. As soon as I got in, Hermione approached me.

When Harry and Ron came in Ron walked right passed her, "Now what? Harry got caught. Come to gloat?"

"No," she said. "Hagrid lost the case. Buckbeak is going to be executed."


	23. Trelawney's Prediction

_**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape: **_**I think I can make that happen for ya…**

_**Chapter 23: Trelawney's Prediction**_

The next morning as we went to breakfast Harry told us Remus took The Marauder's Map away. It was either that or give it to Snape. Hermione was furious. She questioned Harry on why he was even out of bed. Shockingly enough, he said he saw someone who he thought was dead…Peter Pettigrew.

Before I could get a word in, Hermione suddenly excused herself. She dashed out of the Great Hall and we didn't see her again until we went to Divination. She joined us at the foot of the stair, looking extremely harassed. Together we climbed into the dim tower room. Glowing on every table was a crystal ball full of pearly white mist. Harry and Ron sat at a front table while Hermione and I took the one behind them.

"Good day to you," Professor Trelawney greeted as she made her usual dramatic entrance. Parvati and Lavender squealed in excitement across from me as they peered into the crystal ball. "I have decided to introduce the crystal ball earlier than I had planned. The fates have informed me that your examination in June will concern the Orb."

Hermione snorted. She commented that 'the fates have informed her' that she sets her own exams. I, along with Harry and Ron, choked back a laugh. _Smart cookie, Professor Trelawney._ She began on again. I zoned out, catching little tidbits here and there. Crystal gazing was a refined art. Something about the Inner Eye. Oh, and she made us do some relaxing drills or whatever; those just made me want to fall asleep.

I felt really silly as I gazed into the hazy crystal ball. I tried to keep my mind blank and open but all I was thinking was "this is so stupid". It didn't help that Ron kept giggling (yes, Ron giggled) and Hermione kept huffing. Harry was the only one of the three who was trying.

"See anything yet," I asked Hermione after ten minutes of staring.

"Hardly," she whispered harshly. "This is such a waste of time! I could be catching up on Cheering Charms…"

Professor Trelawney shuffled passed our tables. "Would anyone like me to help interpret she shadowy portents within their Orbs?"

"Well it's obvious what this means," Ron looked at me, motioning to his Orb. "There's going to be loads of fog tonight."

Harry, Hermione, and I burst out laughing. Even Dean and Seamus, who were sitting close, sniggered. Our Professor either didn't hear this or chose not to. "Relax…let your mind…go."

I placed my chin on my palm, thinking hard. Then it came to me, "Oh! I See something!"

Professor Trelawney ran over quickly, "Yes, my dear? What do you See?"

"I see…I see…oh, no, sorry," I smiled sweetly at the oddball woman. "It's gone now."

Trelawney patted me on the back in a sympathetic way. She told me to concentrate more and maybe the image would come back. _Not Likely._ She turned to Harry, "Oh my, what do we have here…? Something moving…but what is it?"

"Oh, can I try," Hermione asked with fake chipper-ness. Trelawney nodded. My friend's smile faded into a frown. "The Grim…possibly."

Trelawney's eyes widened. Parvati whispered something harshly to lavender, and they both glared at Hermione. Our Professor sat next to my friend, examining her, "My dear, from the moment you first arrived in my class, I sensed that you did not possess the proper spirit for the noble art of Divination," she picked up Hermione's right palm, examining the lines, "You may be young in years, but the heart that beats beneath is as shriveled as an old maid's, your soul as dry as the pages of the books to which you so desperately cleave."

The entire class went silent, even the Slytherins were surprised at what our crazy Professor had to say. Hermione was obviously stung by these words. She tried to say something, but nothing came out. Instead, she ripped her wrist out of Trelawney's hand, grabbing her book bag. When Hermione stood she knocked our crystal ball to the floor. I watched sadly as she dashed out the door, the crystal ball rolling out behind her.

It took a few minutes for us to register what just happened. Professor Trelawney seemed to have forgotten what she was seeing in Harry and Ron's Orb. She stood; tugging her shall more closely to her. She looked at me, wide eyed, "Was it something I said?"

I wanted to hit her. Lavender squealed, "_In late spring, one of our number will leave us forever_! You knew, Professor! You saw!"

She gave Lavender a dewy smile, "On these occasions, I take no joy in my gift, Miss Brown."

Lavender and Parvati looked thoroughly impressed. Our Professor joined them at their table and everyone set to talking again. I grabbed my stuff, moving in between Harry and Ron. "Some day Hermione's having, eh," Ron muttered. He placed his chin on his arms which were resting on the table.

"Yeah…" Harry replied as he stared into the Orb.

I glanced into the boys' crystal ball but saw nothing but a swirling mass of white mist. Was Professor Trelawney really going to say she saw The Grim? I wondered if Harry would see it. I sighed, taking out a book. The last thing Harry needed was another near-death experience. I mean, the Quidditch final was coming up and we needed our star Seeker. Not that that's what I cared about…I was really worried about Harry.

After class, all the students were talking about were Professor Trelawney and Hermione. I just rolled my eyes and ignored it. As I walked down the stairs with Harry, all Ron wanted to do was talk about Hermione.

"She's gone mental, Hermione has. I mean, not that she wasn't always mental, but now it's out in the open for everyone to see…"

I stopped. The boys stopped too and looked at me. "And you call yourself a good friend…" I scolded Ron.

"To whom? You and Harry, I assume," Ron began walking off again.

"You're an idiot, Ron. You can't see how you're hurting Hermione. You're supposed to be friends and you're acting like enemies."

As Ron and I argued about his and Hermione's friendship, Harry was halfway down the stair. I huffed off, joining Harry. He stopped and looked down, at his feet was the crystal ball. He picked it up and turned to face us.

"I better take this back."

Ron nodded. "I'll come with you," I said, glaring at Ron. The red head walked off, joining the other Gryffindor boys as they went to our next class.

Harry and I walked back up to the tower in silence. It had been that way with us since Christmas. Awkward…I mean I know we agreed not to mention it. Ron and Hermione didn't know. No one needed to know. But it just made our relationship…weird. If Harry and I were left alone we'd just stare at each other in silence. I wanted things to go back to the way they were.

Before I knew it, we were back in the smelly tower. Harry set the crystal ball back on its proper stand and began to leave. I went to follow. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the white mist darken. I grabbed Harry's robe and pulled him back.

"Are you seeing this?"

He nodded. I watched the dark smoke swirl into a shape. It was unmistakable; Sirius Black. I leaned closer and closer as he whispered my name. _Cora…Cora…Cora._ Just then, a shadow appeared across the glossy surface. A hand shot out, grabbing Harry and turning him around.

"Professor," Harry breathed.

Our Divination Professor went ridged, her eyes unfocused and her voice eerie, "He will return tonight…"

"S – Sorry," Harry stammered. I was too shocked to say anything. I stood, frozen in place, staring at her.

She didn't answer. She just looked like she was going to have a seizure, "The Dark Lord lies alone and friendless, abandoned by his followers. His servant has been chained these twelve years. Tonight…before midnight…the servant will break free and set out to rejoin his master. The Dark Lord will rise again with his servant's aid, greater and more terrible than ever he was. Tonight…before midnight…the servant…will set out…to rejoin…his master…"

Trelawney shuddered, her grip on Harry still like iron. She made sort of a grunting noise, her head falling forward. My mouth dropped as I stared at her in utter astonishment. Finally, her head rose. She blinked a couple of times, fixing her glasses.

"So sorry, my dears. Did you say something," her voice was normal again.

I grabbed Harry's hand, backing up. "No," he shook his head. "Nothing."

Harry and I turned, dashing out of the tower. My mind was reeling the entire way we ran to the common room. I thought the worst when it came to "His servant". I didn't want to believe it was my dad, I couldn't believe Sirius Black was a terrible, mass murdering Death Eater out to get Harry. Five minutes later we entered the common room. People strode passed us like nothing; laughing and joking. Over in a corner, arguing like always, were Ron and Hermione.

"Guys," I got their attention. Both gave us funny looks. We were panting heavily.

"Professor Trelawney," Harry panted, "just told us –"

I composed myself at the sight of their faces. I pulled on Harry's robes to get him to stop talking. Ron looked up at us, "Buckbeak's sentence is in an hour or so."

Hermione handed me a note. It was surprisingly dry, no tears splattered it. Hagrid's hand though, seemed to have shaken so much that it was hardly legible. The execution was going to be at sunset. He wrote there was nothing we could do and not to come down. Hagrid didn't want us to see it.

"We've got to go," Harry said at once. "He needs us. Hagrid can't just sit there out on his own, waiting for Buckbeak to die!"

"But Harry, what about curfew? We aren't allowed…" Hermione trailed off.

"No," I sighed. "Harry's right. We have to be there for Hagrid."

"Good, it's settled then," Harry began pulling off his robe. "Get changed and be back here in five minutes."

Without a word, Harry and Ron ran up to change. Hermione and I did the same. Little did we know, that tonight, would be a major life changing event that none of us would ever forget. Especially me.


	24. The Execution

**vlascoD14:**** Mucho thanks for the love!**

**Loonylunalovegood09:**** I was so thrilled with your comment that all words just escape me haha. I plan to finish before the end of summer but I start college early August. Can't promise but I'll try and get it done.**

**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape:**** Define 'free'? Like is he gonna be saved by Harry and Hermione or…? Cuz I was planning on it.**

_**Chapter 24: The Execution**_

Ten minutes later I found myself following my three friends to Hagrid's hut. We were all dressed in Muggle clothes since classes were done for the day. In the clock tower courtyard, crows were everywhere. They flocked in a circle above and hopped around at the feet of a pot-bellied man. He was wearing a black ski mask and was sharpening a rather large axe. I had to look away.

"I just can't believe they're going to kill Buckbeak. It's too horrible," Hermione shook her head.

"Yeah," Ron agreed. "But you know what's also horrible? Scabbers being eaten by your cat!"

"Oh, here we go again," I groaned as we walked on. Hermione told me, in tears, about why she and Ron were arguing before Harry and I entered the common room. Apparently Scabbers was missing. She said that Ron said that he found Crookshanks lounging about, blood in his 'mangy fur' and tufts of Scabber's fur in between his paws. I honestly didn't know what to believe.

"It just got worse," Harry commented. Hiding behind the three large rocks overlooking Hagrid's hut were Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle. They were spying on Hagrid who was standing in the pumpkin patch, throwing dead ferrets to the Hippogriff.

Draco and his goons laughed loudly. Sensing someone, he turned around. There was a big, fat arrogant smile on his face, "Ah, come to see the show?"

Hermione snapped. She whipped out her wand, marching up to Draco. "You…you foul, loathsome, evil little cockroach!"

Draco slammed his back up against one of the rocks, his eyes closed in fear. Hermione's wand was just under his chin. The little ferret whimpered. Harry, Ron, and I stepped forward.

"Hermione, no," everyone looked at Ron. I was surprised he spoke to her. "He's not worth it!"

I looked at him like he had three heads, "What? Yes he is! Hermione do it!"

Hermione nodded and began to turn. Draco's eyes shot open. Thinking he was out of harm he began chuckling. Hermione's eyes flashed dangerously. _BAM!_ Quick as lightning her fist met Draco's jaw. Harry, Ron, and I stared at Hermione in shock and awe. Draco's hands instantly went to his nose as he began whimpering like a baby. He took off with Crabbe and Goyle huffing and puffing behind him. I sneered at them as Draco let out a string of choice words.

"That felt good," Hermione admitted.

Ron was all smiles, "Not good…brilliant." Hermione's face went red.

The four of us ran down the slope as the sun began to drop on the horizon. We passed Buckbeak, who was chained to a post in the pumpkin patch. He looked terribly sad as he let the numerous crows that had gathered there jump all over him. My heart went out to the creature. Chained, letting things walk all over him…

Harry pounded on Hagrid's door as loud as he could. After a bit of persuasion, he let us in. He was not crying and he did not mope. He looked like a man who was torn. His helplessness was worse than tears.

"Wan' some tea," he asked. His great hands trembled as he reached for the kettle. Hagrid spilled water all over the table as he tried to fill it up. Hagrid's hands were shaking so violently that the water jug slipped from his fingers and shattered all over the floor.

Hermione volunteered to make the tea as Harry and I ushered Hagrid to his giant table. He didn't sit, he walked away and to the window that overlooked the pumpkin patch. Harry and I watched the creature on either side of Hagrid. Ron sat at the massive table, scratching Fang's head. As the wind picked up, Buckbeak raised his head and closed his eyes. He let the soft breeze ruffle his feathers.

"I say we set him free," Harry voiced.

Hagrid shook his head, sighing, "They'd know I did it. And tha' would only get Dumbledore in trouble. Gonna come down, yeh know. Says he wants ter be with me when it…when it happens. Great man, Dumbledore."

"We'll stay with you too, Hagrid," Hermione began.

Hagrid turned to face her. He shook his shaggy head, "Yeh will not! Think I wan' yeh seein' a thing like this? No. Yeh'll drink yer tea an' be off. But before yeh do –"

Hagrid turned, taking the lid off of a flour tin. Hermione poured our tea as Ron and Harry stepped closer to Hagrid to see what he was doing. In the half-giant's hand was a tiny head, covered in the fine powder. With a frantic squeak and much scrambling to get away, Hagrid handed Scabbers to Ron.

"Scabbers," our friend shouted in relief. "You're alive!"

Hagrid chuckled, 'Yeh should keep a closer eye on yer pets, Ron."

I turned my head to Hermione as she slammed the teapot down. She was angry, "I think you owe someone an apology."

"Right," Ron clutched Scabbers close to him, "Next time I see Crookshanks, I'll let him know."

"I meant me."

Suddenly a glass jar on the shelf shattered, ending Ron and Hermione's argument. She scooped up a spiral-shaped stone, looking at in in confusion. Seconds later, Harry was hit in the head. He turned, rubbing the back of his skull. "Hagrid…"

We all looked out the window. A group of men were walking down the slope. In front was Dumbledore, his silvery blue cloak glistening in the sun. Next to him trotted Cornelius Fudge and behind them, the executioner with his gigantic axe. Hagrid began to panic.

"Yeh got to go! It's almost dark. Anyone sees yeh outside the castle it'll be trouble! Big trouble! 'Specially you, Harry," as he ushered us to the backdoor, someone knocked on the front. I gasped. _They can't be here already?_ Hagrid was trembling all over as he went to get the door.

The four of us ran out the door, poking out heads around the frame, watching the three men. As Hagrid opened the door to greet them, we ran into the pumpkin patch and hid behind some large pumpkins. As we listened to the execution charges, I noticed a large group of crows fluttering onto the roof. More dropped into the patch, circling Buckbeak and pecking at the dead ferrets. Hermione gasped, pulling me down as Fudge appeared at the window. Dumbledore was talking to Hagrid about what a kind Hippogriff Buckbeak was when the Minister cut in, turning away. Hermione turned suddenly, her hand still on my wrist. We stared into the forest, the branches on the trees dancing oddly.

"What," Harry asked.

Hermione shook her head, "I thought I just saw…never mind."

My focus was pulled to Buckbeak when he made a heart-wrenching croaking sound. "Please, can we go? I – I can't stand it anymore."

Harry nodded, leading us away from the pumpkin patch. I gave Buckbeak one last glance as we started up the sloping lawn toward the castle. The sun was sinking fast now and the sky was pink and orange. Ron, who was holding Scabbers like a lifeline, stopped just aside from the three vertical rocks. He squirmed, trying to get his rat in his other hand.

"Ron," Hermione called out softly as she, Harry, and I joined him. He didn't answer. High in the clock tower, the bell began to toll.

_Gong!_

_Gong!_

_Gong!_

Hermione let go of my hand as she covered her face. Four figures exited Hagrid's hut. There was a jumble of indistinct voices, then silence. A figure, undoubtedly Dumbledore, raised his hand and pointed, directing the others away from Buckbeak. The crows shrieked excitedly as the executioner separated from the others and walked into the pumpkin patch.

_Gong!_

Everything was still. The breeze died. The crows went silent.

_Gong!_

The executioner raised the axe. The sun shone bright off of it as the axe was raised high over the executioner's head. Harry wormed his way in between me and Hermione. Out of the corner of my eye I saw her shaking her head, tears running down her face. I told myself to be strong. Be strong not only for my friends, but Hagrid and Buckbeak.

_Gong! _

The axe hung in the air forever, etched against the sky. Then, without warning, it was thrown down in a sickening chop. My breath caught in my throat as I stared, numb in disbelief. Hermione's face turned into Ron's shoulder as she let out a small sob. Harry rubbed her back with one hand, his other clutched in mine.

_Gong!_

The sun was barely a sliver in the horizon. A frenzy of crows shrieked against the blood red sky. Their shrieks sounded more like a curse to me. I looked at my three friends in sadness. "They did it," I whispered hoarsely. "I can't believe they did it."

_Gong!_


	25. Into the Whomping Willow

**A/N:**** Thanks to all those who added me/my story as a favorite or alerted! You guys rock!**

_**Chapter 25: Into the Whomping Willow**_

My mind was gone blank with shock. Harry and Ron stood transfixed with horror as they watched Hagrid's form crumple. Harry suddenly began to move forward. I seized his arm, telling him Hagrid would only feel worse and be in more trouble if they knew we were out right now.

"OUCH," Ron gasped. He dropped his rat, grasping his hand. A drop of blood ran down his finger. "He bit me…"

Scabbers took off across the grass. Ron went after him. Hermione yelled after our friend as we took off after him. The three of us huffed and puffed behind Ron as his long legs took him over the top of the summit before we did. I booked it, reaching the top of the ridge before Hermione and Harry. I pushed myself to go faster as Ron lunged for Scabbers in front of the Whomping Willow. I almost fell over the ginger as I skidded to a stop right in front of him. He was sprawled on the ground, Scabbers clutched in his bloody palm.

I sat down, trying to catch my breath, "Ron – don't – run off – like – that again."

"I had to –"

"RON! CORA," we spun around when we heard Harry yelling at us. "RUN!"

My eyes widened as I saw what was coming up behind him and Hermione – an enormous, pale-eyes, jet-black dog. Ron pointed at it, whimpering in fear, "Harry, behind you! RUN! It's The Grim!"

Harry and Hermione both turned. The dog snarled as it bounded toward them. Harry shielded himself and Hermione as the dog leaped over them. I scrambled to pull Ron up but something pushed me aside. Ron screamed in pure terror. I turned just in time to see the dog's teeth flash and snap close on Ron's foot. He was being dragged towards the trunk of the tree like a rag doll. I grabbed Ron's arm tightly, trying to keep a hold. As Ron was being dragged backward into a large gap in the tree's roots, I was being pulled forward.

"Hermione," I called for help. I heard her footsteps behind me, Hermione shouted my name. I was losing both my grip and my balance. I had a choice now…either let go of Ron or let myself fall.

I let my legs give out under me. Now Ron was grasping my wrist, cutting off the circulation. As I fell forward my chest hit the ground hard. Even though I was dazed and I felt as though my ribs were broken, I held on to Ron. I felt someone grab ahold of my leg. I screamed in pain, vaguely aware of Harry and Hermione's frantic attempts to catch us. The dog had finally disappeared through the gap, bringing me and Ron too. Ron and I simultaneously shouted Harry's name.

"Hold on, guys!"

I kicked my legs, hoping my foot would get caught in a root or something. But it was no use. The dog was too powerful. Someone screamed. Ron shouted out to Harry again as we slid down into the darkness, his voice echoing deep into the earth.

_CRUNCH!_ I screamed in pain, white spots blurring my vision, as we shot out of the earthy slope and fell on the hard ground. My left wrist was yelling at me in pain. Tears spilled from my eyes as I cradled my newly broken wrist to my chest.

"Ron! Ron," I called out frantically.

I heard a cough and a groan, "Here."

Ignoring the biting pain, I scampered over to my friend. He was sitting up against the earthen wall. Scabbers was now in his pants pocket as Ron's hands were clamped over his leg and foot. His face contorted in pain. I crouched down next to him, going into nurse mode.

"Let me see it," I begged. Ron shook his head. "Damn it, Ronald Weasley! I said –" I was cut off by a low growling. We both looked up. The black dog's eyes flashed madly, its teeth gleaming in the dark. It turned away and went down the winding tunnel. "I – I think it wants us to follow."

As I began to get up, Ron grabbed a fist full of my jacket. "Follow it…are you bloody mad?"

I helped my crippled friend to his feet. He put his arm around my shoulders and I placed my right arm around his waist. We moved as fast as we could, the dog stopping to make sure we didn't run away. How could we? Ron's left foot and leg were all mangled from being dragged and I wouldn't leave him for all the gold in Gringotts. I started to worry as Ron began to draw breaths in sharp, painful gasps. I was going to slow down but something nudged me from behind. The dog ran ahead and up through a small opening. Gasping for breath, I pushed Ron through. He let out a painful cry as he leaned on his left leg. His cries echoed throughout the room we entered.

The room was very disorderly and dusty. Paper was pealing from the walls; there were stains similar to dried blood all over the floor; the windows were boarded up. Every piece of furniture was broken as though somebody, or someone, went on a rampage and smashed it all up. And, to our surprise, the whole place was moving; the walls, the ceiling and floor, everything.

"Ron," I breathed, letting him lean on me again, "I think we're in the Shrieking Shack…"

The dog growled its low, menacing growl. When we looked up, it was at the top of the stairs, waiting. Ron audibly gulped, looking down at the bloody paw prints on the stairs. I couldn't tell if they were old or fresh. It took a few minutes but I got Ron up the stairs without hurting either of us any further. Ron's grip on my left shoulder was so tight it was sending shockwaves down to my wrist. I gulped back the pain and kept on moving.

Once upstairs, I was glad to find a room with hardly anything broken. The desk and dresser were smashed but I didn't care about those. What made me happy was the bed that was to the side of the room, completely unharmed, a bit aged but intact. I set Ron down. He groaned in pain as I carefully lifted his mangled leg up on the stained mattress. I cradled my own wrist.

"Are you okay," I asked Ron. His face was paler than normal. Ron gritted in pain. "I'll take that as a no." When Ron's eyes opened again his eyes nearly bulged out of his head. "What? Ron, what is it?"

He picked up his arm slowly, his chin quivering in fear. As soon as he pointed behind me I had to look. My eyes trailed the bloody paw prints on the floor. As they reached the far corner, they changed. What I saw almost made me scream in fright. The dog that should have been in the corner wasn't a dog at all…it was a man. A mass of filthy, matted hair hung just above his shoulders. His eyes shone dark out of their deep sockets. The waxy skin was stretched so tight over his bones he looked like a living corpse. There was also a strange Y-shaped tattoo covering the skin on his chest, shown by the unbuttoned striped Azkaban shirt. His matted beard almost covered the yellow and black teeth that were bared in a dog-like grin.

Sirius Black…


	26. Dog, Rat, Snake, Wolf

**A/N: First, thanks everyone for the reviews and the alerts and favorites. That makes me happy. Secondly, I've literally been working for days on this chapter. It isn't up to where I want it to be but I think it's okay. I wrote then re-wrote and then re-wrote it again because I couldn't get it the way I wanted. Sad face. Anyway, so as I was waiting for the Magic Quill on Pottermore last night I had my friend read my two stories. After he finished he asked why **_**Her Black Heart**_** is**__**called **_**Her Black Heart**_**? Honestly, readers…I have no idea. So here's the deal. If you think you know why Cora's first story is called Her Black Heart…message me. If I like it then I'll let you choose Cora's love interest. Yay! Now on with the story!**

_**Chapter 26: Dog, Rat, Snake, Wolf**_

At that moment, Harry and Hermione burst through the door. They dashed across to us. I stared at the corner where my fugitive father stood, hidden by the room door. "Ron! Cora! You're okay," Hermione breathed. She had cuts all over her face and her clothes were ripped in some places.

"The dog – where's the dog," Harry freaked out, his wand in hand.

"He's the dog," Ron gritted in pain, pointing at the corner. "Harry, it's a trap! He's an Animagus!"

Harry and Hermione wheeled around. With a snap, Sirius Black closed the door, revealing himself. He raised a wand…my wand. _How did he…?_ Hermione placed herself between Harry and Black. "If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill us too!"

Something flickered in Black's eyes, "No. Only one will die tonight."

"Then it'll be you," Harry growled, lunging for Black.

I found myself screaming in response. Black's eyes flashed towards me before landing back on Harry. He had his wand pointed directly at Black, he was shaking. Black regarded Harry cautiously. "Going to kill me, Harry?"

"You killed my parents," Harry said, his voice shaking slightly. He raised his wand, ready for the kill. "It seems only fair."

The door of the room burst open in a shower of red sparks. Remus came hurtling in, his face emotionless, wand raised and ready. His eyes looked over Ron, who was paler than ever as he clutched his rat; to Hermione who was standing defiantly next to Ron; to me as I stared as Black, clutching my broken wrist; and finally to Harry who still had his wand pointed at Black.

"_Expelliarmus_," Remus shouted. My wand flew out of Black's hand and into his own. Black stumbled down to the ground. Remus had his wand at the escapee's neck in an instant. "Looking a bit ragged, aren't we, Sirius? Finally the skin reflects the madness within."

"You'd know all about the madness within, wouldn't you, Remus," Black laughed up at my godfather.

The two observed each other, the moment taut with tension. My friends shared a look of unease. Hermione's face paled at the mention of 'the madness within'. She gave me a knowing look. The realization hit me like a ton of bricks.

_Lycanthropy is a magical illness known to be spread by saliva-blood contact; thus, a human bitten by a werewolf in wolf form will become a werewolf him or herself._

_It seems that werewolves, when in their animal state, pose the danger of biting the nearest human being. On every full moon, a werewolf will go through an incredibly painful transformation from a human into a wolf-like creature._

_Though werewolves usually only infect their victims through biting, they sometimes take it too far and attack their victims. Without any humans nearby to attack, or other animals to occupy it, the werewolf will attack itself out of frustration. This leaves many werewolves such as with self-inflicted scars and premature aging from the difficult transformations._

_Because werewolves only pose a danger to humans, companionship with animals whilst transformed has been known to make the experience more bearable as the werewolf has no-one to harm and will be less willing to harm him/herself._

The two men laughed at their little joke. Remus lowered his wand and extended a hand. Harry and Ron stared, confused as he helped Black to his feet. The men embraced only like brothers would.

"No," Hermione shouted in disbelief. "I trusted you! Cora and I covered up for you and all this time – you've been his friend!" She looked at Harry and Ron, pointing at Remus, "Tell them, Cora! Tell them what he is!"

My breath caught in my throat for the millionth time that night. I stared at my godfather, eyes misty, "He's a werewolf. That's why he's been missing classes."

Harry and Ron stared, flabbergasted. Black laughed, amused. Remus eyes my father, then turned to look at me and Hermione. His gaze lingered on me in a sad way, "How long have you two known?"

"Since Professor Snape set the essay," Hermione replied.

"You really are the brightest witch of your age, Hermione," Remus said, amused. He didn't look away from me though. I saw fear flicker through his eyes. He thought I'd turn against him now that I knew what he was.

"Yes, you glow like the sun," Black rolled his eyes at Hermione and Remus. "And you howl at the moon. Enough talk. He dies now! If you won't do it with me, Remus, I'll do it alone!"

"Sirius, wait –"

"I did my waiting," Black howled. "Twelve years of it! In Azkaban!"

Remus eyes Black before nodding, "Alright then. As you wish…"

"NO," I shouted, standing up. Harry stepped forward too, his wand pointed at Black. My friend eyed the man murderously.

"You betrayed my parents! You sold them to Voldemort," Harry stepped closer to the two men. He held me behind him. "You sold out Cora's mum too! Your own wife –"

"That's a lie," Black roared. His eyes suddenly sparkled and his voice softened. "I never would've betrayed James and Lily or Olivia. I loved them…"

"Harry! You've got to listen –" Remus tried to reason with the boy protecting me.

"NO," Harry shouted. "Did he listen when my mum was dying? Did he listen when she was screaming?"

"I wasn't there," Black stepped toward us. Harry pointed his wand threateningly at the man. His eyes were full of guilt and pain. "And I'll regret it the rest of my life."

Remus stepped up, joining Black, "Someone else betrayed your parents, Harry. Someone in this room right now. Someone who, until quite recently, I believed to be dead."

"He's as good as dead," Black growled.

I pulled myself out of Harry's grasp. My eyes narrowed at the two men, "What are you talking about? There's nobody here."

"Oh yes there is…" Black smirked, his voice cruel, "Come out, come out, Peter! Come out and play!"

Ron drew back, "You're mad!"

My eyes shifted from Black to Ron's face to the rat in his hands. Scabbers twisted and squeaked violently. I nudged Harry and motioned with my head. Harry stared curiously as Remus handed my wand back to Black. They raised their wands, poised for an attack. The door flew open a third time. A slimy, deep voice was heard and the wands flew from Remus and Black's hands. Snape stood in the doorway, smiling smugly.

"Ah, revenge is sweet," Snape eyed Black. "How I hoped I'd be the one to catch you."

"Severus –" Remus began, but Snape continued, sneering at my godfather.

"I told Dumbledore you were helping an old friend into the castle. And here's the proof."

"Brilliant! And – as usual – wrong," Black rolled his eyes. "Now give the wands back. Remus and I have a bit of unfinished business to do."

Instead of handing the wands to Black, Snape grabbed him by the collar, his wand at the escapee's neck. I gasped. Black's eyes caught mine until Snape shook him, "Give me a reason. I beg you."

"Don't be a fool, Severus," Remus tried to reason.

"Why don't you go play with your chemistry set?"

"Quiet, Sirius," Remus snapped.

Black looked at me again with those intense grey eyes. Now I know what The Fat Lady was talking about. We defiantly had the same eyes. "Your reason not to, Severus…think of that girl standing right behind you…would you really take away her only living parent…right in front of her innocent little eyes…?"

I snorted loudly. Everyone stared at me; Harry had a look of disbelief. I just shrugged. I was not as innocent as people thought. When I looked back at Black he was grinning. Snape narrowed his eyes at Black, "Tell me, will you be so impudent when I turn you over to the Dementors?" Black flinched. "Do I detect a flicker of fear? One can only imagine what it must have been like to endure the Dementor's Kiss. It's said to be unbearable to witness…but I'll do my best."

As he gestured to the door, Snape dropped the two wands. He kicked them back, not giving them a second glance. I slowly crouched down, pocketing Remus's wand and grasping my own. Before Black or Snape could reach the door I jumped in front of it, wand pointed at our Potions Master.

"YOU'RE PATHETIC," I yelled. "Just because they made a fool of you at school – you won't listen to what they have to say – give them a sec –"

"SILENCE," Snape shrieked at me. The tips of our wands were nearly touching. "Like father, like daughter, isn't it! I just saved your neck…ALL OF YOU! You are just as ungrateful as he is, aren't you? Now, get out of the way, or I will make you."

I stood, defiant in the doorway. I looked passed Snape and to everyone in the room. If looks could kill, Remus would have offed me a long time ago. Ron, who was trying to hang on to Scabbers, was still on the bed and Hermione, who hadn't spoken a word, looked genuinely scared. The only person who looked rather thrilled with my little endeavor, however, was Sirius Black. My – dare I say it – my father looked quite proud.

"No," I whispered, staring at Snape's face.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY, YOU SILLY GIRL!"

I made up my mind in a split second. I raised my wand higher and before I uttered a word, someone shouted, "_Expelliarmus_!"

The blast made the whole room rattle. Snape soared backwards, hitting the wall with a _THUD_! The drywall around him crashed down as Snape fell over, unconscious. Ron, Hermione, and I stared in shock. Harry lowered his wand, an evil look in his eye.

Hermione paled, "Harry, you attacked a teacher!"

Harry looked a bit in shock himself. But with a shake of his head he quickly turned to the men, "You said Peter before. Peter who?"

"Pettigrew. He was at school with us. We thought he was a friend," Remus explained.

"No, Pettigrew's dead," Harry pointed his wand at Black. "He killed him twelve years ago."

"I thought so too," said Remus, "until you mentioned seeing Pettigrew on the Map."

"The Map was lying then –" Harry tried.

"The Map never lies. Pettigrew's alive. And he's right there," Black pointed at Ron. Once again, our ginger friend went white with fear.

"M – me," he squeaked. "It's lunatic…I'm not –"

"Not you, you idiot," Black rolled his eyes. "Your rat."

"Scabbers," Ron held his rat closer. "Scabbers has been in my family for…"

"Twelve years," Black chuckled bitterly. "A curiously long life for a common garden rat. He's missing a toe, isn't he?"

Harry's face darkened, "All they could find of Pettigrew was his –"

"Finger," Black let out a bark-like laugh. "Dirty coward cut it off so everyone would think he was dead."

"It makes sense," I whispered. "He's an Animagus." I stared into the eyes of the man who was my father. I wanted to believe; I was desperate to believe what I thought was true. I glanced at Ron, his face pained. Scabbers was squirming more violently than ever. My attention went back to Black. "Show us then."

Remus and Black turned to Ron. "What are you going to do to him," Ron asked.

The men exchanged a glance. My breath was shaky as I inhaled. Black had already retrieved Snape's fallen wand when I held out Remus's. He counted to three and a flash of blue-white light erupted from both wands. Scabbers bit down on Ron's hand for the second time that night. Ron dropped the rat in shock. Black and Remus went crazy, shooting the light from the wands, trying to hit the rat. Scabbers was just about to disappear through a hole in the wall when Remus hit him.

We all turned away as the wall came down in a cloud of dust, old paint, and drywall. In the space where Scabbers had once been was a short, grubby looking man. He was hardly taller than me (and I was 5-foot-3). His thin, straw colored hair was long and frazzled with a bald patch on top. He was pudgy. His nose was pointy like a rat's. The man also had small watery eyes and hit two front teeth were long, also like a rat's. He was breathing hard as he looked at all of us one at a time. This sad, pathetic excuse for a man was Peter Pettigrew.

"S –Sirius…R – Remus," the man smiled nervously. Pettigrew's voice was squeaky. "My old friends…" No one spoke; we just stared. Pettigrew's eyes darted around. Suddenly, he scrambled to the door, but Black shoved him back. The rat-man's nose twitched, his gaze finding Harry as he got to his knees. "Harry! Look at you! You look like your father. Like James! We were the best of friends, he and I –"

"Shut up! You have no right to say James was your friend," Black raged, shoving Pettigrew off of Harry.

"And you…" Pettigrew stumbled towards me. I recoiled as he grabbed my jeans, looking up at me with his pleading eyes. "Coralynn. I haven't seen you since you were a baby. You look like your father too! Your mother would be so proud to have a pretty little –"

This time Sirius Black practically threw Pettigrew across the room. He was seething, "DON'T EVER TOUCH HER AND DON'T EVER TALK ABOUT OLIVIA, YOU TRATIOR! I OUGHT TO KILL YOU RIGHT NOW!"

"No! Please," the man backed away. "The Dark Lord, he – he forced me –"

"DON'T LIE," Black bellowed. "YOU'D BEEN PASSING OFF INFORMATION TO HIM FOR A YEAR BEFORE LILY, JAMES, AND OLIVIA DIED! YOU WERE HIS SPY!"

"I didn't mean too," Pettigrew sounded close to insanity the way he pleaded. My lip curled in disgust. "You have no idea the weapons He possesses! Ask yourself what you would have done, Sirius. What would you have done?"

"DIED! I would have rather died than betray the ones I loved!"

"You should have realized, Peter," Remus's voice was so low, "if Voldemort didn't kill you…we would…"

"No…please…you can't…" he begged for his life. Remus and Black raised their wands, pointed directly at Pettigrew's face. He shrank back against the broken dresser, trembling in fear. Ron stared coldly at the man who pretended to be his pet for the last three years. Hermione covered her face with her hands, turning away.

"NO," Harry yelled. He stepped forward, placing himself in front of the wands and Pettigrew. The man's head lifted. Both Black and Remus looked thoroughly shocked.

"Harry, this man…" Remus began.

"I know what he is. But we'll take him to the castle."

"Harry, no," I grabbed his sleeve.

"Bless you, boy," Pettigrew grasped Harry's clothes again.

"Get off," Harry lashed out. Pettigrew backed away, scared at Harry's tone. "I said we'll take him to the castle. After that, the Dementors can have him."


	27. Transformations

**A/N:**** Much thanks to everyone! I hope ya noticed my name change. It's my official Pottermore name and I like it better than Inwe Oronar anyway. Enjoy!**

_**Chapter 27: Transformations**_

No one moved or made a sound except Pettigrew's whimpers. Remus and Black lowered their wands. Remus agreed with Harry's decision, Black, however, did not. After what that man did…he deserved to die. He had no right to be alive and he knew it. But, death would be like Disneyland compared to the Dementors. Soon, thin cords shot from Remus's wand. Pettigrew struggled as he tried to untie his bound hands.

"If you transform, Peter," growled Black, my wand pointed at his throat, "we will kill you. Agreed?"

I stared at the pitiful creature in front of me. He was pleading with Black and Remus to let him go. He told my godfather he would turn himself in. He'd rather go to Azkaban. _Liar…_ Remus turned to Ron and told him he couldn't mend bones as well as Madam Pomfrey. He used the Ferula healing spell to bind Ron's leg. When he turned to me, I saw the pain in his eyes.

"Cora. I was going to –"

"Don't," I cut him off, "I understand. You were afraid. You thought I'd be scared or run away because of what you are. I can – I don't blame you, Remus. If you were at all dangerous I'm sure Andi, Ted, and Tonks would have never let you near me."

The corner of his lips twitched. He flicked his wand and my left wrist was bandaged up to a splint like Ron's leg. I thanked him softly. I got that feeling we were gonna have a very much needed godfather-goddaughter moment but it was ruined by Hermione.

"What about Professor Snape," she asked in a small voice. Our Potions Master was still conked out, covered by the drywall.

Remus turned to her. He shrugged. "There's nothing seriously wrong with him. _Mobilicorpus_."

As if invisible strings were tied to him, Snape was pulled into a standing position, his head lolling like a puppet. He was suspended a few inches off the ground, his feet dangling. Remus flicked his wand and Snape floated out of the door and down the stairs. He roughly pulled Pettigrew up, pushing him forward. He growled something incoherent as the whimpering man followed him down the stairs.

"Harry," Black called. Harry turned to face the man, his eyes softening. "Help me with your friend."

Harry stood next to Ron, placing his arm around his shoulder. Black did the same with the other and the two worked together to make sure Ron stayed off his leg. All Hermione and I could do was follow them as we made our way down the stairs, out of the Shrieking Shack, and into the dirt passage. Getting back in that tunnel, however, proved to be difficult. The way was narrow and we were almost forced into a single line. Harry and Black pressed closer to Ron as they helped him. Up ahead, I noticed Snape was still floating along, his head bumping against the low ceiling. Remus did nothing to prevent this as he kept his grip firm on his wand in case the rat behind him bolted.

No one spoke until we reached the end of the tunnel. Ron was groaning about his leg so Black spoke up, "Sorry about the leg, mate. Prongs always joked I'd make a better dog than human. But it's the fleas I can't stand…they're murder."

For a second I thought I saw Hermione crack a smile. Must have been a trick of the light. I breathed in deeply as I finally climbed out of the tunnel. _Ah, fresh air._ The grounds were completely dark now; the only light came from the distant windows of the castle. Without a word, Remus flicked his wand and Snape crashed to the ground at the base of the unmoving Whomping Willow. As Black and Harry set Ron down, Pettigrew prattled desperately.

"Turn me into a maggot. A dung beetle, a flobberworm! Anything," he turned to Ron. "Ron! Haven't I been a good friend? A good pet? You won't let them kill me, will you? I was your rat!"

Ron drew back in disgust, slapping at the man's bound hands, "Get away!"

Hermione went to Ron's side when Pettigrew turned on her, "Sweet girl. Clever girl. Surely you won't let them…"

My friend tugged her robes from Pettigrew's grasp. Remus yanked him away from us. Hermione was on her knees in an instant, inspecting Ron's wound. "It's not too bad," she gently touched the splint.

"No," Ron whispered. "They're gonna have to chop it."

"Ron, they won't chop it," she sighed.

"Yeah, you'll see. They'll chop it off."

I turned away. In the distance I saw Black staring in wonder at the castle, shining radiantly in the dark. Harry, who was standing next to Snape the whole time, began to walk off in his direction. I don't know what came over me just then. I felt like I was under the Imperious Curse as my feet moved me forward right next to Harry. Somehow I managed to shake out of my daze when I was standing next to Black. Harry was on the other side, staring at the man who he had thought was going to kill him.

"Beautiful, isn't it," Black said. He kept his gaze on the castle. "I'll never forget the first time I walked through those doors. It'll be nice to do it again. Freely…" he looked at Harry. "That was a noble thing you did back there. He doesn't deserve it."

Harry had looked back at Pettigrew. He was on his knees next to Remus, rubbing his wrists which were now unbound. "I don't reckon my father'd want his best friends to become killers. Besides; dead, the truth dies with him. Alive…you're free."

I watched as Black's face lit up. He seemed really moved by Harry's statement. He suddenly turned and looked right at my friend. As he told Harry he was his godfather, I decided to step away. I knew when I wasn't involved in a conversation. I walked off to the side, still staring at the castle. What was going to happen now that he was to be freed? Would he want me? I looked over at the two. Harry had a grin on his face that could light up all of Scotland. I wondered what Bla – my father had said to him. Sirius Black wasn't just Sirius Black anymore; now that we had Pettigrew…he was my father.

I closed my eyes, listening to the crunching of the wet grass as someone approached. When I opened my eyes, my father was standing next to me. He still looked the same as when I first saw him an hour or so ago. But there was something different in his eyes. Something good and lighter. Something I remembered from long ago.

"I want to thank you, for standing up for me and Remus. I would say it took guts to say what you did to Snivellus but…"

I smiled to myself, "I know. You used to do it all the time."

He chuckled. As I stood there, rubbing my arms, I felt his gaze upon me. It wasn't creepy, no way! It was warm, fatherly… "Now that I'm to be a free man, I – well I know you live with Andromeda and Ted but – I mean what I want to know is if…if you'll come and live with me?"

My eyes widened as I turned towards my dad. My heart pounded in my chest, making me smile. I felt like crying, "You – you mean it? I can – I can live with you? When?"

"As soon as I get my name cleared…" My dad's face broke out into a true grin. Remus was right; he did have a dog-like grin. The difference it made was amazing. He looked a whole ten years younger and, for a moment, the man I remembered in my dreams shone through his gaunt face. "Oh, you'll want this back."

He handed me my wand. I smiled, tears welling up in my eyes as I took it from him. "I used to dream about you," I told him shyly. "You and mom. You were dancing in the kitchen, I think, to Doris Day."

"One of my better memories," he smiled down at me.

"I miss her," my voice cracked. Tears streamed down my face.

"Hey, hey," my dad placed his hand on my shoulder. To my surprise, he pulled me into a strong hug. I wrapped my arms around his waist, crying freely into his ratty clothes. "I miss her too. And I missed you as well," he held me at arm's length, smiling. "Look at you. You are most certainly not a baby anymore. And you look just like…"

"Just like you," I finished, also smiling. "So I've been told."

"But when I look into your eyes, I see your mother. The way you act, the way you talk, hell even your posture…it's all your mother."

I grinned even wider if it was possible. My father did the same, pulling me into another fatherly hug which I had never quite truly missed until now. Then, Hermione's voice rose on the air, quavering with fear. "Harry…Cora…"

My dad and I turned to see her staring at the full moon. Remus's eyes shifted as he went ridged, his body twitching. Dad and I bolted to the Whomping Willow where the others were. I was joined by Harry as we ran to Ron and Hermione. She and I lifted out crippled friend off the ground, placing his arms around our shoulders. We shared a look; we knew we had to get away. Harry stood near me, however, rooted in place.

"Remus, old friend…did you take your potion tonight," dad placed his hands firmly on Remus's shoulders. My godfather began twitching more violently, his head shaking either answering 'no' or because he was changing. Pettigrew's eyes widened in fear. Dad held tight to Remus, yelling at us. "Run! All of you run now!"

But none of us did. I watched with my three friends, transfixed as Remus made his painful transformation. He snarled terribly and loudly. My godfather's head was lengthening and so was his body. His shoulders were hunching quickly, the bones crackling sickeningly. Hair sprouted visibly all over his body as his clothes ripped and fell around him. I was horrified as my dad wrapped his arms around Remus.

"You know the man you truly are, Remus. This flesh is only flesh," he yelled over the transforming Remus. He let out a mix between a human yelp and a wolf howl. His fingernails grew into sharp black claws which dug into my dad's back. He bit back the pain. "This heart is where you truly live! This heart!"

As Remus's wand dropped…Pettigrew leaped. Harry shouted, his voice drowned out by Hermione's screams and Remus's howls. Before Harry could reach him, Pettigrew picked up the wand and tapped himself on the forehead. The man turned to us, sending a mocking wave as he transformed into a rat and disappeared into the night.

I removed Ron's arm from my shoulder and ran to Harry. I grabbed his arm and quickly dragged him the other way. A howl pierced the air and Harry and I wheeled around. The Remus growled and flung my dad into the air. I found screaming as Harry pulled _me_ back to Ron and Hermione. Remus was no longer human; he was a werewolf. The four of us edged back. Hermione also shrugged Ron off her. She stepped forward. Ron whimpered 'nice doggy'.

"Professor…" the werewolf whimpered, not looking at anything. Ron's voice cracked as he called Hermione back. No one moved. "Professor Lupin?"

He looked up, eyes blazing. A horrifying growl escaped from his throat as he barred his long and sharp glittering teeth. Hermione jumped back about a foot, crashing into Harry. Suddenly, we were blocked by Snape. The spell had been broken and boy was he mad. Not that I cared.

"Potter," he spat, grabbing Harry's jacket. "When we get back to the castle I'll…"

The werewolf snarled and let out another scary growl. Snape turned around quickly and spread his arms out. I don't know what shocked me more, the fact that I had just witnessed my godfather transform into a werewolf or the fact that Snape was trying to protect us from said godfather. The werewolf reared back, swiping his gigantic paw at Snape. Our Professor went flying making me, Ron, and Hermione scream like, well, like girls. It howled, sprinting forward when out of nowhere a gigantic black dog jumped out, attacking him.

They hit the ground in a fierce tangle of flashing teeth. The dog seized the werewolf's neck pulling it backward away from us. They were locked, jaw to jaw, claws and teeth ripping at each other. Again and again the dog pushed the beast back, but it was too strong. It yelped in pain as the werewolf flung him off his back and into the tall grass.

"No," Harry and I shouted simultaneously. With the dog gone, the werewolf turned his attention back to the four of us. Harry, Hermione, and I drew our wands, terrified. I was shaking more than my three friends combined. I knew Remus was somewhere within the beast that was going to attack us. I just couldn't harm him.

"Remus, please stop," my voice wavered. "It's me. It's your goddaughter. It's Cora…you know me."

Suddenly, a howl pierced the night. The werewolf, who disregarded my pleading and was about to attack, faltered and cocked his head toward the forest. The werewolf's eyes shifted back to us. It snarled before bounding off into the forest, vanishing. My eyes shifted to the tall grass. In the darkness, the wounded dog, my dad, struggled through the grass. He rose and fell and rose and fell, each time I could tell he was becoming more human. As he disappeared over the ridge I was aware it became much, much colder.

"Dad," I whispered, staring into the darkness. There was no doubt in my mind what I was gonna do. There was nothing we could do for Ron but help him into the castle. My dad needed me more.


	28. I Almost Die

_**Chapter 28: I Almost Die**_

I set off at a full run. I heard someone following me. I heard Hermione's yells and Ron's shouting. I didn't care. All I cared about was my dad. I didn't just get him back just to lose him again. The yelping seemed to be coming from the ground near the edge of the lake. I pelted toward it, suddenly running side-by-side with Harry. We stumbled down to my dad, who was lying on the water's edge. He was fully a man now, blood gleaming on him arms and face in the full moonlight.

"Sirius," Harry beat me to my dad. My friend fell to his knees. "Sirius!"

With tears in my eyes I pointed my wand at my father. It hurt to see him all bloodied, "_Tergeo_." Harry's breath hitched as all the blood was cleaned off. I thought it would help, but it didn't. Blood kept seeping out of his wounds. I shook him lightly. "Dad, please get up. Please…"

Mist escaped my mouth as I breathed out. The wind tossed tendrils of my hair back over my shoulders and ruffled Harry's hair. I felt goose bumps rising all over my skin as a thin layer of ice glazed over the lake. That's when I saw them, hundreds of them, oozing like smoke through the trees across the lake…Dementors. I clutched my dad's hand as the familiar icy cold penetrating my insides all over again. I noticed Harry's glasses slightly fogging over as more appeared on every side; they were encircling us…

"No…no," Harry shouted to no one in particular. He looked at me, getting up. "Cora, think of something happy!"

Harry raised his wand. I did too, shaking my head trying to get rid of the screaming that had begun. I stood, ready to fight. _The day I found out I was a witch._ Harry shouted an incantation and I copied, "_Expecto Patronum_!"

Nothing happened.

_The day I found out I was leaving the orphanage for Hogwarts!_ Nothing.

_Living with the Tonks family!_ Again…nothing.

_That father-daughter moment I had minutes ago!_ A thin silvery wisp shot out of my wand, then disappeared. I cussed as loudly as I could.

My dad shuddered and rolled over. The Dementors continued to come. Harry had shouted the incantation four more times. Each time his wand would emit the same silvery wisp as mine and then it'd vanish. My eyes fluttered, the Dementors drew closer and closer. I felt my knees hit the cold grass. With too much effort, I fought with all my might.

_My dad is an innocent man. We'll be okay. I'm going to live with him…Harry too._ "_Expecto Patronum_!"

I cried out in frustration. _Why can't I do it!_ Just then I thought I heard Harry yell. The Dementors were swooping in on him and my dad. I gasped as wisps of what I could have sworn were their faces were being sucked away from them. The nearest Dementor seemed to consider me. It swooped low as it sucked in air with the sound of a deadly rattle. I felt paralyzed. I felt as if my soul was on fire. I felt I'd never be happy again.

I was falling. White fog was blinding me. I had to fight…_think of a happy thought_…I could hardly see…_any merry little thought_…the screams came back louder and louder than before. I heard my father gasp. When I looked over at him, silvery feathers of light tumbled from his slightly parted lips. A small glowing orb floated a few inches from them, his soul was leaving him.

And then, though I was still falling, I saw a beautiful white light through the trees. The light grew brighter as it illuminated the grass around us. That was when, to my delight, the screaming stopped and the coldness slowly became warmth. Something was driving the Dementors away. It circled around me, Harry, and my dad, pushing the Dementors away like ash in the wind. There was a bright flash and darkness returned. Silence took over as the light got smaller and smaller, retreating into the hand of a man who looked slightly familiar. Before I blacked out I prayed with all my might that Harry and my dad were okay. _Thank you light-stag, thank you…_

When I came to I realized I was in a familiar white room with dozens of beds. I felt very groggy. My limbs felt like lead; my eyelids too heavy to lift. I just wanted to sink into the warm bed and sleep forever. But that was not so. Someone's hand was shaking my shoulder, calling me out of my state. I finally opened my eyes to see Hermione looking at me with an unreadable emotion in her eyes. She looked terrible. She had medical tape on her cheek to keep the cut closed, a split lip, her clothes were dirty and torn, and her wrist was wrapped up from the middle of her forearm to the space between her thumb and index finger. Made me wonder how I looked.

"Good, you're awake," she said. My friend looked at me like she had something else to say.

"You were shaking me."

To my left I saw Ron lying on a bed. His leg was propped up on a few pillows and wrapped up in a white cast. He too was awake. Next to him was Harry, his curtains were still drawn. I sat up, noticing my left arm was heavier than before. From just below my fingers to my elbow, a white plaster cast was holding me down. I cursed. Just as I went to get out of bed I heard what sounded like metal scraping metal. Harry was sitting up in his bed, curtains wide open. Hermione looked at him.

"Harry…"

"I saw my dad," he said.

"What," Hermione and I asked simultaneously.

"He sent the Dementors away…I saw him. Across the lake…Cora you were there too! You must have seen him."

Hermione looked at Ron. They shared a private glance. She sat at the edge of my bed. "Listen, Harry. You too, Cora. They've captured Sirius. Any minute the Dementors are going to perform the Kiss."

My eyes widened, "NO!"

Harry got out of his bed, walking up to mine. He looked confused, "The Kiss…?"

Before Hermione could explain, I cut her off. "It's what Dementors do to those they want to destroy. They clamp their jaws over the victim's mouth and…they suck out your soul…"

Harry leaped from his bed, "You mean, they're going to kill him?"

"No. It's worse…much worse…" she rubbed my shoulder sympathetically. Harry was still confused so she went on. "You go on living. But you have no memory; no sense of self. You're just a shell…an empty shell…"

As Harry reacted to this horrifying news, the door opened. Dumbledore entered. Harry, Hermione, and I all ran up to him, bursting into speech at the same time.

"Headmaster! You've got to stop them!"

"They've got the wrong man –"

"–Sirius is telling the truth –"

"We saw Pettigrew! He escaped when Professor Lupin turned into a werewolf –"

"–he's a rat –"

"–Pettigrew's front paw – I mean his finger – he cut it off –"

"–Pettigrew attacked Ron, not my dad!"

"It _was_ Scabbers who did it," we all stopped. Ron, I could tell, was still out of whack from the medication Madam Pomfrey gave him.

"Scabbers…" Professor Dumbledore pressed.

"My rat, sir," Ron was nodding like an idiot. Yeah, he was defiantly out of it. "Only he's not really a rat. Well, he was a rat, you see. He used to be my brother Percy's –"

"The point is…we know the truth. Please, sir, you must believe us," Hermione pleaded.

"I do, Miss Granger. But I'm sorry to say there is not a shred of proof to support Black's story. And I assure you the word of four teenage wizards will convince few others. A child's voice, however honest and true, is meaningless to those who have forgotten to listen," I stared up at the grave face and felt as though I were falling again. I thought Dumbledore could get around anything; solve any problem. I half expected him to wave his wand and everything would be right. Now there was no hope for my dad. Dumbledore stared out the nearest window, smiling to himself. "If ever one was to make a wish upon a star, now would be the time. But time, I'm afraid, is precisely our problem…"

_GONG!_

The midnight bell began to chime.

_GONG!_

"Mysterious thing, time. Powerful. And, when meddled with…dangerous," Dumbledore was at the doors now. He had that knowing gleam in his light blue eyes. Something was about to happen. "Sirius Black is in the topmost cell of the Dark Tower. You know the laws, Miss Granger. You must not be seen. And you would, I feel, do well to return before the last chime. Three turns should do it, I think. If you succeed, more than one innocent life shall be spared tonight," before closing the door he smiled, "By the way, when in doubt, I find retracing my steps to be a wise place to begin. Good luck."

Headmaster Dumbledore smiled once again and closed the doors. "Good luck," I repeated incredulously as the doors closed with a boom.

"What the bloody hell was that all about," Ron scrunched up his nose, sitting up straighter.

Hermione didn't reply. Instead she fumbled with something beneath her shirt, pulling out a very long, very fine gold chain. Hermione looked at me up and down before shaking her head. Harry and I gave each other a 'what the hell' look. She looped the pendant's long chain around Harry's neck.

"Sorry, Ron. But seeing as you can't walk… I'd say you could go too Cora, but I don't think you'll be getting around fast enough with that cast."

Harry, Ron, and I exchanged a curious glance. The bell continued to toll as Hermione turned the hourglass pendent three times. Suddenly, the two began to slowly flicker until they evaporated like mist or smoke in the air. And at that very same time, they burst through the doors of the Hospital Wing, flushed and out of breath. My eyes and mouth widened in shock. Ron sat, dumbfounded. We both rubbed our eyes.

"How did you two get over there," Ron pointed to where they were standing, then to where we just saw then disappear. "We were just talking to you…over there…?"

_My thoughts exactly… _Hermione and Harry exchanged smug glances, "Honestly Ron, how could we be in two places at once?"

"Ha-ha, very funny," I frowned at them both. "What happened? What did you do? What's going on?"

"You explain," Harry told Hermione as he helped himself to some chocolate.

Hermione smiled a little and motioned for me to follow her to Ron's bed. She explained everything. She started with how she got the Time Turner. Then Hermione told us how she and Harry saved Buckbeak and dad. She also mentioned that it wasn't Harry's dad who saved him, dad, and me at the lake…it was Harry. Confusing huh? When Hermione told us that Sirius got away with Buckbeak I began to cry. I didn't get to say goodbye. I didn't even know how long it would be until I saw him again!

Harry placed his hand on my shoulder, reassuring me that I would see my dad again. He told me the three of us would be a family soon. I gave my friend a watery smile. How I hoped he was right. Neither of us knew how wrong he really was.


	29. The Firebolt and Those Damn Wizard Cops

_ashrachellexx:____I'm glad you liked that little father/daughter moment._

_Mrs. 11__th__:__ Thanks for the reassurance on the Neville/Cora scene. I really needed that lol._

_Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape:__ Yeah…sometimes I feel bad for Cora too. _

_Snow246:__ I'm so surprised you reviewed HBH! Thanks though. I have in mind who Cora will end up with in the end but right now (during school) I have Fred, Neville, Harry, John Haring, and someone asked for Seamus and/or Cormac McLaggen (that was ever a surprise). So I honestly can't tell you who she's going to be with. It'll be a surprise I guess. _

_**Chapter 29: The Firebolt and Those Damn Wizard Cops**_

When the four of us left at noon the next day, the castle was deserted. Because it was so hot and the end of exams everyone was at Hogsmeade or enjoying the sunshine. None of us felt like going to we spent our time walking around the grounds. Hermione took this time to go into more detail about the happenings of last night.

I wasn't paying attention. All I could think about was where my dad was now. I hoped he was safe and well. I closed my eyes, my mind replaying all the events as Hermione spoke in hushed tones about her and Harry's adventure. I stopped dead as my mind pulled up and image of Remus's face.

"I've got to see him," I whispered, my eyes flying open.

The three stopped too. "See who," Ron asked, trying to maneuver around on his crutch.

"Remus," I turned.

"I want to see him too," Harry voiced, taking off behind me.

I called back, "Meet you in the Great Hall!"

The door to Remus's office was open. To mine and Harry's surprise, most of his things were packed. An empty tank stood next to a battered old suitcase, which was nearly full. Remus walked over to it, placing some books into their rightful spots.

"Hello Harry, Cora," my godfather turned and smiled through tired eyes. He looked absolutely terrible. Remus was pale, the scars on his face were red, and he had scratches everywhere. From what Hermione told me I gathered they were from being attacked by Buckbeak. Remus nodded to The Marauder's Map on his desk. "Saw you two coming. I've looked worse, believe me."

Harry and I looked around. There were open desk drawers, empty bookshelves… "You've been sacked."

Remus sighed at my observation, "Resigned, actually."

"Resigned," Harry exclaimed. "But why?"

"It seems someone has let slip the nature of my condition."

"Snape," Harry and I growled.

"Whoever it was – it was bound to get out," Remus sighed sadly. With a flick of his wand, more books shoved themselves into his packed suitcase. "This time tomorrow, the owls will start arriving. Parents will not want a – well, someone like me teaching their children."

Harry frowned, "But Dumbledore –"

"–has already risked enough on my behalf. Besides, people like me, well…let's just say I'm used to this by now."

There was a long pause while Remus continued to empty out his desk. I tried to think of a good argument to make him stay. Remus was the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher I've ever had. He was possibly the best this school had seen in a long time too. He just couldn't go. When Remus suddenly asked Harry about his Patronus, we were both shocked. Word traveled fast.

"Well," Harry looked at me. I just shrugged. "At first I thought it was a horse or a unicorn, but I think it was a –"

"A stag," Remus finished with a smile. Harry nodded. "Your father used to transform into one. That's how he was able to keep me company when I – he was a great friend, James. And I also heard you had a go with the Patronus, Cora."

I stared at the ground. The reminder did not lift my spirits in any way. "I couldn't do it…"

Remus smiled wanly, closing his suitcase. He tapped The Marauder's Map with his wand, clearing his throat, "Well, change of subject. Since I am no longer your teacher I don't feel guilty about giving you the map. It's no use to me, and I daresay you two, Ron, and Hermione will find uses for it. Mischief Managed."

I watched as the map went blank. Harry picked up the blank parchment and we followed Remus out of his office. Out in the corridor, we said goodbye to Remus as he left one way and we headed for the Great Hall. As I walked beside Harry I began to feel quite miserable. Pettigrew got away. The man who ruined so many lives was still at large. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Harry staring at nothing. He must have been having the same internal battle as I was. Was it really a good thing he spared Peter Pettigrew?

_Yes._ The little voice inside my head told me it would be a very good thing in the future. Pettigrew now owed his life to Harry. I almost choked on my own saliva when I realized that Pettigrew owed Harry a life debt. Bad things would happen if that kind of deep magic wasn't upheld. I threw all my bad thoughts out the window. I was thankful for Harry James Potter in many ways. But now, now I'd be forever in his debt too. He saved my father from certain death. As we entered the Great Hall, he took my hand in an act of comfort. Things would be different now. Nothing would ever be the same.

Approaching the Gryffindor table was like being at a zoo. There was a large circle of our housemates, chattering excitedly. Amid them was Ron. "Stand back, I said! I'll take it upstairs if you don't settle down!"

Harry and I arrived, glancing at our housemates in confusion. Hermione cleared her throat loudly. Everyone looked at us….well mostly Harry. They all, and I mean _all_, began talking at once. From the smallest first year, to the oldest seventh year…everyone wanted to talk to Harry for some reason.

"Harry," Neville exclaimed. "Wherever did you get it?"

"Can I have a go, Harry," Seamus grinned in excitement. "After you, of course –"

"Quiet," Ron snapped and the crowd settled. "It just came, Harry. Sorry it's open but they made me do it!"

"Did not," the twins smiled mischievously. They were sitting right in front of a beautifully crafted broomstick. The golden label gleamed golden in the light. A Firebolt. Harry's mouth fell open…he was speechless.

"But…how," he asked, reaching out for the smooth handle.

"This came with it," Hermione smirked, holding up a feather. Harry stared at it as Hermione raised her eyebrow. The secret glance they shared did not go unnoticed by me and Ron.

Harry grabbed his new broom and bolted for the doors. We all followed him as he ran out of the castle and into the courtyard. Students who were outside joined us, curious to know what was going one. In the middle of the courtyard, Harry stopped. He mounted the broom, placing his hands on the handle carefully. Before anyone could take a breath harry was whisked away, jetting off into the air at a neck-breaking pace. People gasped in awe as Harry became a small dot in the sky, his scream of joy, however, louder than anything.

As the term ended, I heard many theories about what happened the night that Sirius Black vanished. None of them ever came close to the truth. The only people who knew were me, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Professor Dumbledore and we intended to keep it that way. Draco was furious about Buckbeak's escape. He was convinced Hagrid had smuggled the beast to safety. Percy, however, was more vocal about my dad's escape. The only person who'd listen was his girlfriend, Penelope Clearwater.

Dad had been gone nearly a week and I heard no news. Harry was worried sick about him but I told my friend 'no news is good news' because that had meant he'd successfully gone into hiding. On the very last day of term I was happy to find I had passed all my classes with spectacular marks. Of course they were nowhere near as good as Hermione's, but I was thankful for what I got. I was surprised Snape didn't end up failing me. Perhaps Dumbledore had something to do with that…in fact, I got my best marks in Potions.

Percy, of course, was top in his N.E.W.T.s; Fred and George managed a few O.W.L.s each. I was so proud of them! Oliver Wood (my crush on that boy has honestly not gone away) was recruited as Keeper for Puddlemere United. He had also asked me to write, making my stomach do flip-flops all day. And, to top it off, Gryffindor won the Quidditch and House Cup! Yay us! So at the last feast the Great Hall was decorated in scarlet and gold and that night we were the loudest of the whole lot. Even Harry managed to come out of his funk and celebrate.

As the Hogwarts Express pulled out of the station the next morning, Hermione told us she was dropping Muggle Studies. That surprised Ron because she had gotten 120% on her exam. What didn't surprise me, though, was that she also dropped Divination. I too voiced that I would be dropping Divination and would be taking Art instead.

"It's Quidditch World Cup this summer," Ron suddenly announced excitedly. Hermione and I already knew this and planned on going with the Weasleys'. "How about it, Harry? Come and stay, and the four of us can go and see it! Dad's getting tickets from work."

Harry beamed, "Yeah…I bet the Dursleys' would be pleased to let me come…especially after what I did to Aunt Marge…"

Feeling more cheerful, the four of us played several games of Exploding Snap. When the witch with the tea cart came he bought us all lunch. Hermione, Ron, and I tried to tell him no too, but Harry wouldn't hear of it. We were just happy he was happy…and there was no chocolate involved.

The four of us spend the rest of the ride talking and laughing; generally having a good time. We didn't stop until we stepped back through the barrier of platform nine and three-quarters. I noticed Harry's uncle at once. The fat man was standing a good distance away from Molly, Arthur, and Ted. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I approached the three adults as he eyed us suspiciously. Molly gave Harry a gigantic bear hug, Arthur patted him on the back, and Ted shook his hand before he said goodbye to us. After our short farewell Harry wheeled his trolley around and joined his uncle.

Too soon after, Hermione's mom came running up. She apologized to her daughter for being late, also adding that her father was working. Hermione didn't seem to mind. With a hug and a promise to write, Ron and I watched our friend leave the station with her mom.

At this time Ted wanted to leave but I refused to go without saying goodbye to all the Weasley kids. Well…except Percy, I never really liked Percy. So when Ginny showed up I gave her a long hug and told her I'd see her during summer. I was going to the Quidditch World Cup with her family after all. As Fred and George ran through the barrier I was almost trampled by their trollies. Molly had some harsh words for them as they embraced me in a Cora-twin sandwich.

After more goodbyes and hugs Ted and I left the station. When were in the car he asked the dreaded question, "So how was school this year?"

I tried not to frown. He knew how it was. I wrote to him and Andi at least once every two weeks or so. What he really wanted to know was "how's your father?" Instead of frowning, I smiled at my favorite male cousin. "Dad's fine, thanks. Broke out of Azkaban, infiltrated Hogwarts, tried to kill the man who framed him, was locked up again, and now he's on the run from the wizard cops."

"Damn those wizard cops," Ted smiled.

I smiled too, looking out the window. As I watched the streets of London whiz by my eyes began to droop. I was so glad to be going home. I missed Ted, Andi, and Tonks. I had a feeling this summer was going to be the best ever. I had amazing friends and a family that loved me. Best of all, I had a dad now. And nothing, I mean nothing at all, was ever gonna take him away from me.

**A/N: 103 pages and 50,416 words later and third year is finished. Thank you everyone for your support and reviews. I am currently starting chapter one of the fourth year and boy it's a doozy! I start college in a week so I honestly don't know when I'll start uploading the new story. Give me a month or earlier, I guess. Thanks again. **


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